[Let us not underestimate the importance of good long-term programming and competent administration of health care]

The origin of Social Medicine is in the theories on the health services in the 18th and 19th centuries. The first step was establishing so-called State Medicine. Socio-medical thinking, the beginnings of which were determined by the process of the industrial revolution and the increasing social differences, led at the beginning of 20th century to the first attempts to establish Social Medicine as a separate medical discipline. In the history of Social Medicine in the Czech Republic the important personalities were mainly professors Frantisek Procházka, Frantisek Hamza, Hynek Pelc, and Adolf Zácek. The main motivation of qualitative changes of Social Medicine in Czechoslovakia after 1989 were great political, economic and social changes, documents of the World Health Organization and the European health policy. Present health care reform brings new opportunities, challenges, and problems. As a tool of its implementation a long-term programming based on human values should be used in a larger scale. The adequate professional skills in health care administration are indispensable. Article presents concise information on the work of the Society of Social Medicine and Health Care Administration of the Czech Medical Society of J. E. Purkynje.