World Health Organization (WHO)

The World Health Organization (WHO) define primary healthcare as “a whole-of-
society approach to health and well-being centered on the needs and

preferences of individuals, families, and communities.”
“Primary healthcare,” the WHO explain, “ensures people receive comprehensive

care — ranging from promotion and prevention to treatment, rehabilitation, and
palliative care — as close as feasible to people’s everyday environment.”
Access to healthcare is a fundamental human right, but the strain that the
COVID-19 pandemic has placed on healthcare systems everywhere has, in turn,
affected many people’s primary care provision.
the pandemic has jeopardized these regular prenatal visits to the

obstetrician or even made them impossible.
healthcare systems prioritize urgent visits and delay elective care to
mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in healthcare settings.”
The best defense against disease outbreaks and other health threats is
preparedness, which includes investing in building strong health systems and
primary health care. […] If we don’t invest in both, we will face not just health
consequences but the social, economic, and political fallout that we’re already
experiencing in this pandemic.”
According to a briefing from the WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus, a recent WHO report suggests that “the rate of progress [in
healthcare worldwide] is too slow to meet the Sustainable Development Goals
and will be further thrown off track by COVID-19.”
And while healthcare organizations such as the CDC continue to stress the
importance of immunizing children against other viruses, they also note that the
number of children receiving their vaccines has dropped significantly of late.
Millions of children missing out on routine vaccines is an alarm bell and risks
further outbreaks of life threatening diseases like measles.
As COVID-19 strains our health systems, primary health care is a key part of pandemic preparedness and
response and is the foundation of recovery.
Just a decade ago, the idea that everyone, everywhere, could have access to
health care at a cost they can afford felt like a distant dream. Now, however,
the world has set a new, exciting and ambitious goal for health – ensure
healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages – as part of the
broader agenda for sustainable development. We now have an historic
opportunity to transform aspiration into reality.
The world has made tremendous health gains in recent decades. People are
living longer than ever before, fewer children are dying in the early years of
life, and access to lifesaving medicines and vaccines has skyrocketed. Yet it’s
clear that meeting the health and development challenges of the twenty-
first century requires a new approach – investing in health systems that can
meet people’s diverse health needs at every age and every stage of life.
Today, there’s growing recognition that strong primary health care is a

cornerstone of sustainable development, and the key to building the future we
all want and deserve. At recent global meetings on HIV/AIDS,
noncommunicable diseases and tuberculosis, scientists, advocates and world
leaders have recognized that stemming the tide on these epidemics begins
with strong health systems that can address people’s complex and varied
health needs side by side. And in October 2018, policymakers, advocates,
patients and partners convened in Astana, Kazakhstan to commit to strong
primary health care as the foundation and future of health for all.

What is Strong Primary Health Care?

Primary health care forms the foundation of health systems, ensuring all people stay healthy and
get care when they need it.
While primary health care looks different in every country, there are common
building blocks that form the foundation of success. A strong primary health
care system has facilities located in the right places in their communities,
where people can go to access the primary care services they need when they
need them; health care providers who are trained, empowered and
incentivized to deliver quality primary care; and systems and policies that
ensure essential medicines, vaccines and diagnostics are available and of high
quality. Adequate funding underpins the success of the entire system and is
essential to ensure countries can provide a basic package of primary care
services for everyone, at a cost people can afford.
When primary health care works, people and families are connected with
trusted health workers and supportive systems throughout their lives, and
have access to comprehensive services ranging from family planning and
routine immunizations to treatment of illness and management of chronic
conditions.

Strong primary health care is the key to achieving health for all.
Strong primary health care:
 Addresses more than 80 percent of people’s common health needs

throughout their lives.
 Saves and improves lives, with fewer children dying before their fifth
birthday, and more people living longer, healthier lives.
 Is efficient, detecting, preventing and managing people’s illnesses
before they become expensive to treat.
 Is fair and equitable, providing all people with access to essential
health services in their communities.
 Protects global health security, helping communities detect and stop
local outbreaks before they become global epidemics.
Strong primary health care also requires quality, easy-to-understand data to
pinpoint strengths and weaknesses, and measure and monitor
improvements. PHCPI is working to measure what matters – helping to
shine a light on what’s working and what’s not, and ensuring decision makers
have the data they need to strengthen primary care systems on the way to
achieving health for all.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) define primary healthcare as “a whole-of-

society approach to health and well-being centered on the needs and

“Primary healthcare,” the WHO explain, “ensures people receive comprehensive

the pandemic has jeopardized these regular prenatal visits to the

Today, there’s growing recognition that strong primary health care is a

Strong primary health care:

 Addresses more than 80 percent of people’s common health needs

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