Based on the Act No. 258/ 2000 Coll. and of the Act No. 320/2002 Coll., Regional Public Health Authority of Moravian - Silesian Region was established on 1 January 2003 as a public health protection authority being in direct connection with the present hygiene service system. The current system of the district and regional hygiene inspection agencies was terminated and replaced by their division into the subdivision of execution of the state health inspection (Regional Public Health Authority) and the subdivision of laboratory services (Sanitary Institutes).

The Regional Public Health Authority of Moravian - Silesian Region /RPHA of MSR/ is residing in Ostrava, in the biggest city of the region and other workplaces are situated in the former district towns – Bruntál, Opava, Karviná, Frýdek – Místek and in Nový Jičín. On the whole, its operations are on the territory with the area of 5 445 sqkm (as at 1 January 2005), and 299 towns and communities having the population of 1 251 883 (as at 30 June 2005), with the density of 1466 persons/sqkm in the Ostrava region and 63 persons/sqkm on the Bruntál territory. The region is with both heavy industry being with effects in the sphere of conditions of work and serious consequences as for the impact on the environment, and on the region with prevailing agricultural activities and large holiday resorts.

The key professional contents, being the execution of state administration is secured by individual departments having their representatives in all municipal workplaces. These departments are as follows: Department of General and Municipal Hygiene, Department of Hygiene of Food and of Non-food products, Department of Children and Juveniles, Department of Occupational Health and Department of Epidemiology. Further activities in the sphere of protection and support for health are secured by the Department of Health Impact Assessment, the Economic and Operational Department looks after operation of the Agency, the Legal and Documentation Departments are available for all employees.

• Carrying out health hazard assessment as for the prevention of the negative impact on the population’s health condition,
• Participating in monitoring the population’s health condition as for the environmental factors,
• Inspecting and controlling local programs of the protection and support for public health,
• Cooperating with state administration authorities and local governmental bodies in the process of regional health policy making,
• Participating in the implementation of the integrated rescuing system targets.

RPHA of MSR is involved in a number of various studies, projects and grants, out of which the programs such as the “Health 21”, the HAPIEE (Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors in Eastern Europe) study and the PG (Pompidou Group) Local Monitoring project, devoted to the drug problems, are those of the most importance. Every year, a seminar with international participation is held – Silesian Days of Preventive Medicine, and as for other events with the nationwide impact, so, these are for example work-related meetings devoted to recreational waters, participation in the Moravian Days of Hygiene organization, the employees have regularly taken part in the national seminar devoted to the Occupational Health – Pachner Days or seminars devoted to the epidemiological problems. It has also been participating in training and in educational activities at the University of Ostrava.