Slovakia and Switzerland launch €16 million Health Programme

Trenčín, 1 April 2025 – The agreement on the support measure within the Swiss-Slovak Health Programme was signed today by the Ministry of Investment, Regional Development and Informatization (MIRRI) of the Slovak Republic and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation at the opening conference of the programme in Trenčín.

The aim of the programme, with an allocation of almost 16 million euros, is to strengthen the prevention of non-communicable diseases and health promotion in Slovakia through the establishment of effective management models, methodological support and strengthening of cooperation between all institutions active in this field. At the same time, within the framework of the aforementioned programme, a project agreement was signed between MIRRI SR and the Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Slovak Republic on the implementation of the project “Strengthening the management of prevention of non-communicable diseases and health promotion in Slovakia”.

“Prevention and health protection is an extremely important topic not only for Slovakia, but also for Switzerland, which will be our important partner on the way to setting up models and management structures, as well as individual processes within the framework of prevention and health protection at the national, regional and local level,” said Minister of Investment Samuel Migal at the beginning of the conference.

The main actions of the programme are the establishment of a governance model for NCD prevention and health promotion, the provision of methodological support for health representatives and regional governments, and the strengthening of coordinated engagement of local governments and regional partners. Last but not least, it is also about raising public awareness of prevention and health promotion and improving coordination and communication between stakeholders. The expertise and know-how to implement these measures will be provided by the Swiss partner, RADIX Swiss Health Foundation.

“Our ambition is that this measure will deliver systemic and long-term solutions. A key element of success is the cooperation with partners, including the Swiss partner RADIX Swiss Health Foundation. We believe that their expertise will contribute to the creation of a comprehensive and systemic model and that together we will be able to raise awareness of the importance of prevention in Slovakia,” noted Minister Migal.

Almost EUR 16 million is allocated from the allocation of the second Swiss contribution to finance the programme. The expected results of the programme are not only more effective prevention and health protection, but also a long-term improvement in the health literacy of the population.

MIRRI SR together with the Ministry of Health believes that the Swiss-Slovak Health Programme will bring sustainable and long-term solutions that will have a positive impact on the health of the Slovak population. The programme is proof of successful international cooperation and commitment to strengthen the health protection and prevention system at all levels.

The Framework Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Slovak Republic and the Swiss Federal Council was signed on 19 September 2023. The Swiss Financial Mechanism allocates EUR 44 million to Slovakia in three support measures: Vocational Education and Training, Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism and Health.