At the beginning of February, members of parliament’s health committee had already adopted the bill regarding the health observatory, so the chamber’s unanimous vote in favour of the corresponding law, during a plenary session on 11 February, represents the final green light for the project.

As foreseen by the government programme, the missions of the observatory will include the centralisation and collection of medical demography data and other health professions and the analysis of disease and death registries.

Apart from the coronavirus pandemic that has undoubtedly challenged the health systems, various other societal and medical aspects such as an aging population, which generates growing health care needs, the growth of chronic and degenerative diseases, the need to guarantee universal and equitable access to the best possible care as well as an evolution of medical techniques with increasingly specialized and individualized treatments, also demand for increased expertise in these areas.

As health minister Paulette Lenert (LSAP) pointed out: "The National Health Observatory is an essential element in steering the health system to improve its quality and efficiency!"

Hence, composed of scientific experts, the overall objective of the body is to contribute to the improvement of the health system by offering an external and independent perspective. It will therefore play a pivotal role in helping the government and partners to define, monitor and evaluate the orientations and the content of policies that are favourable to the health of the population and compatible with the sustainability of the health system. 

The observatory will be headed by a council of observers, composed of national and international experts. 

A national report on the health status of the population, the determinants of health and the health system will be prepared every three years.