WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care: annual report 2022

This report describes the activities of the WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care in 2022. The Centre accelerated face-to-face country support after the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to support countries in engaging in analysis and diagnosis, developing strategies and policies, building capacity and tracking implementation progress and impact. The Centre delivered intensive support in the countries of the Universal Health Coverage Partnership. The Centre continued to develop policy guidance, publish good practices, have capacity-building activities and policy dialogues and solidified its signature product Let’s Talk Primary Health Care talk show platform. The highlight of 2022 was the launch of two WHO Primary Health Care Demonstration Platforms to facilitate cross-country experience exchange.

Operational Framework for Primary Health Care

The World Health Assembly in resolution WHA72.2 (2019) requests the Director-General inter alia “to develop, in consultation with, and with the involvement of more expertise from, Member States, and in time for consideration by the Seventy-third World Health Assembly, an operational framework for primary health care, to be taken fully into account in the WHO general programmes of work and programme budgets in order to strengthen health systems and support countries in scaling-up national implementation efforts on primary health care”. This operational framework builds on an initial draft that was prepared as part of a technical series to support the Global Conference on Primary Health Care (Astana, 25 and 26 October 2018). It was then revised following expert review, public consultation, civil society consultation, key informant interviews and consultations with Member States.

This operational framework, the related Vision for primary health care in the 21st Century, and associated technical ...

Declaration of Astana

The Global Conference on Primary Health Care in Astana, Kazakhstan in October 2018 endorsed a new declaration emphasizing the critical role of primary health care around the world. The declaration aims to refocus efforts on primary health care to ensure that everyone everywhere is able to enjoy the highest possible attainable standard of health.

The new declaration has renewed political commitment to primary health care from Governments, non-governmental organizations, professional organizations, academia and global health and development organizations. It will be used to inform the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on UHC in 2019. The new declaration was also a chance to commemorate the 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care, and reflect on how far we have come and the work that still lies ahead.

Models of Integrated Care: The global experience

This Global Experience Paper on Integrated Health Care was developed to provide the Primary Health Care Institute (PHCI) in Libya with insights as it designs and develops its plans to rebuild primary health care (PHC). The findings are informed by a review of recent international literature, and by insights provided by selected international experts. The paper uses the Framework on Integrated, People-Centered Health Services from the World Health Organization to structure the analysis of global experiences. Overall, there is no single model of integration that can or should be adopted in countries seeking to develop primary health care. There is, however, evidence of good practice in designing and developing local, context-specific solutions. Evidence to support effective strategies and policies relevant for conflict-affected situations is scarce. However, there are some common themes and issues relating to the need to rebuild trust in the quality and safety of services; to build from ...