Fernanda introduced Dr. Ivo Krysa, the director of the department of general and communal hygiene - Public Health Authority of the City of Prague. Ivo presented a fascinating insight into the world of Public Health to members at our recent meeting. From the policies which underpin Public Health through to education programmes for school Children Ivo explained the importance of public health in developing the well being of the population. Initiatives range from HIV through smoking to HIV. "There are many areas where we are at work, even in this room" said Ivo, "this includes drinking water quality and the food hygiene controls."

Following the presentation there was a lively round of questions and answers including a discussion relating to smoking and the initiatives to reduce the number of smokers, particularly amongst the young.

RCPI President Helen Noll thanked Ivo for his presentation and the insights into something we could easily take for granted, drawing on her recent experiences of the RCPI club visit to India where public health has quite different and more fundamental challenges.