High-level event: The role of Primary Health Care in the COVID-19 pandemic response and leading equitable recovery

In October 2018, States and Governments adopted the Declaration of Astana on Primary Health Care, which reaffirmed their commitment to the fundamental right of every human being to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health without distinction of any kind. Last year, the whole world witnessed no country that was 100% ready to overcome the challenges of the global pandemic. The current epidemiological situation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need to ensure continuous access to essential health services without which, there is an increased indirect morbidity and mortality. In the emergency situations, like the COVID-19 pandemic, PHC plays a substantial role in prevention, preparedness, response and recovery – and in ensuring the continued access of the population to essential health services, thus preventing an increase in morbidity and mortality from causes not directly related to the coronavirus. PHC also has a role to play in improving the equity of efforts to manage health emergencies and maintain health service access, with effective involvement of communities as partners. The global commitment to PHC in the Declaration of Astana must be translated into specific actions to bring visible changes, visible results and contribute to the health status of communities. In November 2020, countries adopted the Operational Framework for Primary Health Care, which provides four strategic and ten operational levers to transform global commitments into practical actions and strengthen PHC at the country level. The Operational Framework will help countries to implement the Declaration of Astana and build sustainable health systems based on Primary Health Care. The event aims to:

1. call on political leaders worldwide to reaffirm the importance of primary health care in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and other health-related emergencies.
2. share best practices and success stories of strengthening primary health care to facilitate COVID-19 response (including COVID vaccine roll-out), promote equitable recovery and boost health system resilience.
3. discuss national health care systems’ prevention and preparedness for future health emergencies and the international community’s role.
4. discuss the Primary Health Care Operational Framework to strengthen health care systems and support countries to scale up national efforts to strengthen primary health care.
5. improve communication to facilitate preparations for the inclusion of primary health care in the UN General Assembly 2022 Agenda.

Programme [12:00 – 12:40] Part 1 High-level plenary Moderators

• Alexey Tsoy, Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan
• Zsuzsanna Jakab, Deputy-Director General, WHO

Speakers

• Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO
• Henrietta Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF
• Muhammad Pate, Global Director, Health, Nutrition and Population, World Bank
• Angel Gurría, Secretary-General, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
• Hans Kluge, Regional Director, WHO European Region
• Suraya Dalil, Director, WHO Special Programme on Primary Health Care

[12:40 – 13:25] Part 2 Ministerial Panel: The role of primary health care in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic Moderator

• Afshan Khan, Regional Director, UNICEF European Region

Panelists

• Ministers of health from around the world. Participants to be confirmed.

Discussant

• Dr Carissa Etienne, Regional Director, WHO Regional Office for the Americas

[13:26 – 13:55] Part 3 Vaccination and primary health care: Working together for COVAX and zero-dose agendas Moderator

• Aboubacar Kampo, Director, Health Programmes, UNICEF

Panelists

• Kate O’Brien, Director, WHO Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals
• Anuradha Gupta, Deputy CEO, Vaccine Alliance (GAVI)
• Nagwa Nashat Hegazy, Director of the Medical Education and Human Resources Development Center in the Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University
• Ministers of Health. Participants to be confirmed.

Discussant

• Feng Zhao, World Bank

[13:56 - 14:00] Closing

• Alexey Tsoy, Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan
• Zsuzsanna Jakab, Deputy-Director General, WHO