... Towards a ‘revolutionary first level of care’
‘Invest in your people and your systems; invest in health, not war’.
PRIMARY HEALTHCARE (PHC) should be central to countries’ efforts to transform their health systems in order to advance towards universal access to health and universal health coverage.
As a key step towards universal health, said Etienne, “we need a revolutionary first level of care” that offers comprehensive health services located where people live and work.
That first level of care should make rational and efficient use of technology and organisational innovation, including interdisciplinary health teams with a new cadre of personnel and skills mix. It should be supported by an integrated health-services delivery network, including hospitals and specialised services, and should be able to respond to risk factors, violence, mental-health issues, sexual and reproductive health, chronic non-communicable diseases, and disasters, among others, said Etienne.
Everyone has a role to play in advancing universal health, said Etienne, including governments, young people, women, the private sector, academia, development partners, community leaders, and people everywhere. She urged all these actors to accelerate their efforts going forward.
Etienne said that governments should take the lead by adopting coherent policies and regulations and by investing in health.
“Please do not reduce health to minimum sets of packages of essential services when your peoples deserve so much more!” she told government representatives, adding, “Invest in your people and your systems; invest in health, not war.”