[Perspectives of public health as a system of knowledge and practice]

For at least 200 years we have experienced extension of the public health scope as an organized activity in favour of human population. It is stimulated by civilization progress and changes in the condition of social life, development of medical knowledge, as well as emerging new hazards and social needs. Within the interest of public health there are various tasks: health status monitoring, identification of hazards and the resulting health risks, setting environmental standards and their surveillance, health education and health promotion, special preventive programs etc. As systems of health care develop, covering the whole population, some quite new tasks are added. They are related to effective and accessible care through better management and rational use of available resources. A question arises to what extent the public health meets these challenges. According to some views the system of public health has been in deep crisis or at least far reaching disarray. Undoubtedly, various measures for improvement of the situation are needed. In Poland, one of the main appropriate measures in this regard is education which will enable building up professional staff in the area of public health.