I. Evolution

The Health Promotion Administration (HPA), previously known as the Bureau of Health Promotion of the Department of Health, has a history that goes back to when the Department of Health Care, the Institute of Family Planning, the Institute of Public Health, and the Institute of Maternal and Child Health merged to become the “Bureau of Health Promotion” on July 12th, 2001. This government organization was formed to be responsible for health promotion and non-communicable disease prevention work. In accordance with the government’s organizational restructuring, the Bureau of Health Promotion became the Health Promotion Administration on July 23rd, 2013. It assumes a greater responsibility and promotes the spirit of “prevention is better than a cure.” We reinforce preventive medicine and community health, especially in response to the changing population structure and work to more closely integrate social welfare and cross-department resources. The HPA provides comprehensive health promotion services from womb to tomb and from families to communities. The goal is to prolong healthy life expectancy and reduce the health inequality gap so that citizens can live longer and better, regardless of wealth, region, gender, and ethnic groups.

With the director-general in overall charge of the HPA, it has two deputy director-generals and one secretary general. There are seven operational divisions and four administrative offices (Figure 1-1). Their main responsibilities include:
1. Planning, coordinating and implementing health promotion policies and formulating related laws and regulations.
2. Planning, executing and supervising matters related to cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other major non-communicable diseases.
3. Planning, executing and supervising matters related to healthy lifestyles.
4. Planning, executing and supervising matters related to tobacco hazards prevention.
5. Planning, executing and supervising matters related to national nutrition.
6. Planning, executing and supervising matters related to reproductive health.
7. Planning, executing and supervising matters related to hearing and vision preventive care.
8. Planning, executing and supervising matters related to public health surveillance, research and development.
9. International cooperation related to health promotion and non-communicable disease prevention affairs.
10. Other relevant administrative matters related to health promotion.
 

 

III. Organization and Mission

The HPA gives priority to four major initiatives: enhancing health literacy and promoting healthy lifestyles; promoting preventive healthcare, effective prevention and screening; upgrading the quality of healthcare and improving chronic disease control and prognosis; creating a friendly and supportive environment and bolstering healthy options and equality. It plans and implements measures to promote reproductive health, maternal and child health, adolescent health, and the health of middle-aged and elderly people as well as to advance the prevention and control of health hazards such as smoking and betel-quid use, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other major non-communicable diseases. It is also responsible for conducting public health surveillance and related research about other special health topics. Moreover, the HPA joins forces with all the public health agencies in the country’s counties and cities, hospitals and other medical institutions. It also works with private groups to implement health policies and to build a healthy environment for the entire population (Figure 1-2).