Areas for strengthening primary health care and enhancing its quality were the focus of an expert meeting hosted in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 6–7 November 2018. The meeting addressed the value of primary health care in the south-eastern European region.
Primary health care is one of the foundations for universal health coverage. It can respond to most health needs across the life-course, and leads to better health outcomes, improved quality of care and higher satisfaction.
However, in most countries, primary health care is under-resourced. Greater investment would improve the accessibility, effectiveness, equity and cost-efficiency of health care. Primary health care is closer to communities, focuses on health rather than disease, and empowers people to take charge of their own health rather than being passive recipients of services.
The Ministry of Health of Slovenia, the National Institute of Public Health, the South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) and WHO jointly organized the expert meeting with the financial support of the Government of Slovenia.
“Slovenia has a long tradition of a strong, well developed primary health-care system that provides close-to-universal health coverage,” explained Dr Pia Vračko, State Secretary of the Ministry of Health of Slovenia, in her opening address.
Priorities for strengthening primary health care
One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the following list of priorities for future work to strengthen primary health care in the participating countries:
- human resources with a proper skill mix, motivated by incentives;
- better vertical integration of primary care services with other levels of the health system, as well as horizontal integration with other sectors at the community level;
- reduced administrative burdens on health workers to ensure they have more time for patients;
- multidisciplinary practices with selected specialists, social workers and specialized nurses working in teams, especially for patients with chronic illnesses; and
- enhanced research and development in primary health care.
Collaboration in these areas is high on the agendas of SEEHN member countries for the coming years.
Declaration of Astana – a cornerstone of sustainable health systems
Dr Darina Sedláková, WHO Representative to Slovenia, highlighted the recently adopted Declaration of Astana as the most inclusive, effective and efficient approach to enhancing people’s physical and mental health, as well as social well-being. She underlined that primary health care is a cornerstone of sustainable health systems, universal health coverage and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals.
Sharing good practices and experience
Delegates from SEEHN member countries, including public health professionals and representatives of ministries of health, institutes for public health and health insurance funds, attended the meeting.
Dr Mira Jovanovski Dasic, SEEHN Secretariat Director, highlighted the comprehensive efforts streamlined at the regional level that followed the political commitment secured at the SEEHN ministerial meeting in Tel-Aviv, Israel, on 10 July 2018.
Speakers from Austria and Slovenia as well as the European Commission, EuroHealthNet, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care shared and discussed experiences and practices with the audience.
Participants also had the opportunity to visit the Health Centre Ljubljana, where they learned about the organization and service-delivery model of one of the largest Slovenian primary care providers.
About SEEHN
SEEHN is a political and institutional forum set up by the governments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to promote peace, reconciliation and health in the region. In 2011, the State of Israel became a ninth member of the Network. WHO lends technical support to SEEHN’s various health projects based on the Sub-Regional Cooperation Strategy signed bilaterally in Tel-Aviv on 10 July 2018.