Commitment to primary health care (PHC) has been reinvigorated in recent years by the 2018 Declaration of Astana and the World Health Assembly resolution in 2019 recognizing its role in achieving universal health coverage. The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, in collaboration with the Primary Health Care (PHC) Special Programme at World Health Organization, are convening a PHC Research Week to advance the role of research in strengthening PHC systems.
The week will be an opportunity to showcase the existing evidence base, consider research and policy priorities and highlight gaps that remain in taking forward a PHC research agenda. It will kick off on Day 1 with the launch of a theme issue of the WHO Bulletin on Wednesday, 18 November. Day 2 will focus on global and national level evidence. The week will be rounded off on Day 3 with a roundtable discussion on priorities for action.
Events during PHC Research Week
Day 1: Launch of a special issue of the WHO Bulletin ‘PHC: realizing the vision’
Wednesday, 18 October, 13:00-14:30 CET (Geneva, UTC+1)
Implementation of, and systems reforms for primary health care are challenged by the lack of contextualized knowledge and a scarcity of research on effective and acceptable approaches, especially in low- and middle-income countries. To address these gaps, the Alliance partnered with the Integrated Health Services Department to guest edit a special issue of the WHO Bulletin entitled, Primary health care: Realizing the vision. The launch will include an address by senior leaders at WHO and authors of articles included in the theme issue.
Panellists
- Introduction
- Dr Abdul Ghaffar, Executive Director, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research
- Keynote address
- Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization
- Panel discussion
- Dr Shannon Barkley, Technical Officer, WHO Special Programme on PHC, Moderator
- Dr Suraya Dalil, Director, WHO Special Programme on PHC
- Dr Ed Kelley, Director, Integrated Health Services, WHO
- Authors panel
- Dr Robert Marten, Scientist, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, Moderator
- Dr Etienne Langlois, Team Lead, Evidence and Knowledge, Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health
- Sowmya Kadandale, Unit Chief, Health, UNICEF Indonesia
- Dr Emma Sacks, Associate Faculty, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Day 2: Emerging evidence from PHC research
Thursday, 19 November, 16:00-17:30 CET (Geneva, UTC+1)
Both the 2018 Declaration of Astana and the PHC Operational Framework highlight how research, knowledge and experience-sharing, linked to decisions in policy and practice, play a critical role in achieving PHC. The Alliance released a collection of 20 country case studies focused on primary health care (PRIMASYS) as well as a Special Issue of BMJ Global Health considering research priorities for PHC. More recently, the Alliance supported a collection of case studies from LMICs in a book, Achieving Health for All: Primary Health Care in Action and the creation of a PHC Research Consortium. This event will showcase these different efforts within the context of the broader evolution of PHC research and will consider PHC research perspectives on what evidence is still needed.
Panellists
- Moderator
- Dr Aku Kwamie, Technical Officer, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research
- Opening remarks
- Dr Abdul Ghaffar, Executive Director, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research
- Presenters:
- Prof. David Bishai, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Dr Erasmus Agongo, Ghana Health Service
- Prof. Lisa Hirschhorn, Northwestern University
- Dr Hong Wang, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Discussant
- Prof. Helen Schneider, University of the Western Cape
- Closing remarks
- Dr Hernan Montenegro, WHO Special Programme on PHC
Day 3: From research to policy action: What is the future of PHC research
Friday, 20 November, 13:00-14:30 CET (Geneva, UTC+1)
This session will consider how to close research gaps on challenges like lack of contextualized knowledge, capacity for research and locally-acceptable solutions to accelerate policy action. It builds on a July 2020 consultation on embedded research priorities for PHC in the context of COVID-19, which focused on the Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions and was undertaken in partnership with UNICEF and the UNU-IIGH. Based on the emerging challenges and lessons learned in the COVID-19 pandemic, this conversation will consider the future of PHC research.
Panellists
- Welcome remarks
- Anuradha Gupta, Deputy CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
- Roundtable discussion
- Dr Kabir Sheikh, Policy Advisor, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, Moderator
- Prof. Malabika Sarker, Associate Dean of BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University
- Dr Ogochukwu Chukwujekwu, Technical Officer, Health Policy and Service Design, WHO Western Pacific Regional Office
- Dr Alaka Singh, Medical Officer (Primary Health Care), WHO South-East Asia Regional Office
- Dr Shannon Barkley, Technical Officer, WHO Special Programme on PHC
- Closing remarks
- Dr Suraya Dalil, Director, WHO Special Programme on PHC
- Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization