Bezpieczeństwo zdrowotne w nauce o polityce społecznej : wprowadzenie do dyskusji

This work tackles the issue of health security analysed in social policy studies. The first part contains reflections on terminology. The author endeavours to define the category of security, among others in the context of values and social needs. He also presents the analysis of security from the perspective of a sector approach, showing the variety of types of security and referring to the concept of human security. Thereafter, the author outlines political connotations of this sector of security, which determine social perception of the functioning of the health care system. Notions that determine the scope of health security – including the right to health care and equality of access to health care services – have become the main issues in the author’s reflections. The choice of notions has helped formulate the definitional scope of the term of health security. In the next part, the author presents the ways of interpreting the notion of security in social policy studies. Another objective of this work is to reflect upon principal issues that condition the problematic field of health security, since the author has underlined basic elements that make health security significant for social policy, has delineated the model of monitoring dangers of health security and has pointed to the role of the category of health security as a cognitive device. This work is addressed to the circle of people interested in the subject areas of health security and social policy, policymakers, and institutions responsible for shaping health security of citizens