Ulaanbaatar/Manila – Building resilient health systems for the future based on primary health care would save lives and economies, say parliamentarians from 14 Asian and Pacific nations.
This week, the State Great Hural – the national Parliament of Mongolia – with support from the Mongolian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO), hosted the Seventh Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health (APPFGH) in Ulaanbaatar. The meeting brought together parliamentarians to share the latest evidence and pathways to build primary health care for the future, present innovations and local reforms, and promote regional and local partnerships.
Echoing the Forum’s official communiqué, the Honourable Zandanshatar Gombojav, MP, Chairman of the State Great Hural Parliament and Chair of the Forum, highlighted the demographic, epidemiological and social trends that will pose major challenges for health systems in the future.
"With challenges unprecedentedly large in scale and complexity, it is crucial to have political leadership, innovation and partnerships across all sectors of society for addressing them,” said Honourable Gombojav. “In order to limit the increase of health-care expenditure, protect people from health-associated financial risks and increase healthy life expectancy of the population, we must revisit and optimize the organization, financing and resource allocation for health care and services.”
Honourable Zandanshatar Gombojav, Chairman of the State Great Hural Parliament and Chair of the Forum, addresses parliamentarians at the Forum. Credit: WHO
The Honourable Dongkun Shin, delegate of the President of the APPFGH and Chair of the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, added: “An investment in primary health care is an investment in more effective health systems.”
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Honourable Dongkun Shin, delegate of the President of the APPFGH and Chair of the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, addresses parliamentarians on the first day of the Forum.
“Accessible, quality health services for all without financial hardship can only be realized by strengthening primary health care, supported by enabling policy environments that put health in all policies across sectors,” said Honourable Chinzorig Sodnom, Minister of Health of Mongolia. Health care should not be regarded as “an expenditure” within a state budget, he said. “We should embrace it as a fundamental factor increasing productivity and thus contributing to sustainable economic growth.”
The Mongolian Parliament showcased primary health-care institutions and innovations. Participants visited health centres in Sergelen and Altanbulag soums to learn about the country’s integrated primary health-care services at the village level, including financing models and efforts to improve accessibility.
Delegates also visited households to see how Mongolia is utilizing mobile technologies to reach the unreached with primary health-care services.
Parliamentarians visited rural households to see how Mongolia is utilizing mobile technologies to deliver primary health care services. Credit: WHO
Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, Acting Regional Director for the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, commended Mongolia for its regional leadership in primary health care. She encouraged delegates to use their functions to support reforms in line with the Regional Framework on the Future of Primary Health Care in the Western Pacific, endorsed by Member States in 2022.
“To build a more fair, healthier Region, we need a paradigm shift in how primary health-care systems are designed,” said Dr Jakab. “As parliamentarians, your leadership is pivotal.”
Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, Acting Regional Director for the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific discusses primary health care with reporters in Mongolia while visiting local communities.
Notes for editors:
The Asia-Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health (APPFGH) is a platform for parliamentarians to exchange ideas, build political will, strengthen capacity and foster collaboration towards sustainable action for health. This was the seventh meeting of the APPFGH, under the theme, “Building primary health care for the future.”
Speakers and members of national parliaments and ministers from the following countries and areas participated: Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Korea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Viet Nam.
For more information, please contact: wprocom@who.int