Vision and Mission

The Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic (PHA) is the main public health research institute and the reference center for the national network of sanitary epidemiological service. PHA is a state budgetary organization with the financial relations to the budget of the Ministry of Health. PHA is managed by the Chief Public Health Officer, who is appointed by the Minister of Health.
The PHA is focused on fulfilment of tasks coming from valid conceptions of individual fields as well as from the Act No. 355/2007 Coll. of Laws on protection, promotion and development of public health and on change and amendment of some acts in wording of later regulations and respective executive regulations.

Current modern public health in Slovakia is particularly focused on the topic of promotion and development of public health with the emphasis on improvement of health, prolonging and improving the quality of life of population through health promotion, diseases prevention and other forms of health intervention.

The PHA is responsible for hygiene and sanitation, surveillance of communicable diseases, environmental and occupational health. With the rising prevalence of noncommunicable diseases, PHA also took on responsibility for health prevention and promotion.

The PHA develops the vaccination schedule, directly controls radiation protection and issues permits for the sale of cosmetic products. Through its network of 36 regional authorities, the PHA carries out epidemiological surveillance, assesses the impact of environmental factors on health, issues approvals before putting any premises into operation and monitors the quality of drinking and bathing water. The PHA can impose sanctions if a violation of the regulatory framework is found (e.g., for avoiding mandatory vaccination).

The PHA issues essential directions and sets priorities of state health policy in the field of public health and of development trends in the sphere of public health in the Slovak Republic which is in accordance with the EU trends. The authority is connected in its activities with European and WHO network for surveillance of infectious diseases and with international projects related to protection of health of European and global importance.

The PHA in coordination with 36 regional authorities aims to reach people in all walks of life and give them the knowledge they need to protect and improve their health and environment. It is directed at the entire community - the young and the old, the strong and the weak. It creates public awareness of how individuals, families, and communities can benefit from progress in medicine, public health, environmental health, sanitation, and management. It shares knowledge so that individuals and communities may become more self-reliant in tackling their health problems in their own context.