Who is responsible for providing healthy conditions?
Providing healthy conditions is not the job of any one group of people in our society, including the health care system. In fact, while having access to quality health care is one determinant of health, the health of a population does not only mean having access to health care. While traditional health care does help people recover if they have had an illness-or may help them to prevent specific diseases-in the past it has played a limited role in promoting the health of the entire population. Rather, providing healthy conditions is the responsibility of: • All levels of government—federal, provincial and municipal • Friends and family • Community members • Employers • The business community • Individuals • Health care providers • Teachers • Community groups. How can we go about it? Here are some concrete ways that groups and individuals can fulfill this responsibility. National and provincial governments can implement policies that promote health. For example, they can: • Regulate h
