Gathered at a meeting hosted by WHO/Europe and the Central European Initiative (CEI) in Trieste, Italy, on 28–30 September 2022, professionals from the Western Balkans met with a range of other experts to share ideas and experiences on scaling up innovative primary health care (PHC) models and digital solutions to better address noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental ill health.
Countries of the Western Balkans are making progress and pursuing ambitious and innovative reforms to provide better care to people living with NCDs and mental health conditions. Yet alongside their many successes, challenges remain. Strong and proactive PHC with a fit-for-purpose and qualified health workforce is key to addressing NCDs and mental ill health, which represent the highest disease burden in the region. Leveraging digital tools and solutions for a more robust and responsive PHC is becoming more critical than ever.
The event built on the successful partnership between WHO and CEI, as well as CEI’s relationship with the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region of Italy. It was the second meeting focused on strengthening PHC within the framework of the WHO Roadmap for Health and Well-being in the Western Balkans (2021–2025).
The WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care brought together over 40 professionals from the Western Balkans with a wide range of profiles and backgrounds, including policy-makers from public health authorities, staff of health insurance funds, PHC managers, health practitioners and mental health workers. They were joined by representatives and technical experts working in the areas of PHC, digital health, NCDs, quality of care and mental health programmes at WHO/Europe and CEI, and in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto regions of Italy.
The dynamic 2.5-day meeting included technical sessions, group work, expert panels and so-called hard-talk panels. Participants worked together to outline priorities and present concrete actions to be undertaken over the next 2 years. They also joined field visits to health facilities organized by CEI and the Health Authority of Trieste to see first-hand the organization of PHC and mental health services based on the territorial services’ network.
Discussions focused on how to overcome implementation barriers common to the Western Balkans region, such as ensuring the sustainability of PHC reforms in the light of political changes, addressing capacity constraints in PHC and promoting change management.