Decoding the WHO's latest press release: Build better primary care so we can claim victory! Add digital health. Make doctors look into the eyes of patients, not the computer.
Yes, it is THAT contradictory and vague.
Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Back to the future: harnessing the power of primary health care to transform our health systems
In marking the 45th anniversary of the historic Declaration of Alma-Ata, the WHO Regional Office for Europe calls on Member States to reframe and invest in PHC as the backbone of #HealthForAll
Astana, Kazakhstan, 24 October 2023----As the permacrisis [Mommy, what is a permacrisis?] of this day and age takes an ever-greater toll on health systems globally, urgently rethinking and prioritizing primary health care (PHC) as an essential pillar of universal health coverage is not an option, but a must. [They won’t buy our insurance plan unless you have provided a health care center where they can actually get care, after all.]. This requires governments and health authorities to refocus and restrategize on what PHC should be; innovate to harness current and future technological advances; and, ultimately, return to and strengthen the human connection between health providers and those they serve. [Does this mean telehealth?] This will bring about better health outcomes, foster individual and community well-being, strengthen earlier access to health services and help restore public confidence in the health sector. [Otherwise they won’t take that next shot we are preparing.]
This was the call to action issued by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the Ministry of Healthcare of Kazakhstan and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Europe and Central Asia Regional Office, organizers of this week’s International Conference on Primary Health Care in Astana, commemorating both the 45th anniversary of the Declaration of Alma-Ata and the 5th anniversary of the Declaration of Astana.
Back to the future
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the impetus to innovate and transform health services delivery, demonstrating that change is both necessary and possible. [What are they talking about?]
“We’re essentially advising countries to go ‘back to the future’ – to reclaim the promise of achieving health for all through PHC, embedded in Alma-Ata 1978 and Astana 2018, and convert that promise into a reality that uses innovation, such as new technology that simply wasn’t available 45 years or even 5 years ago,” said Dr Hans Henri P Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. [Why won’t they tell us what this shiny new technology is?]
“And as we work hard to leverage this digital transformation and make sure everyone benefits from it equally, [does that mean everyone goes to telehealth, even those who want to see a real doctor—or everyone gets an electronic record, even if they prefer health privacy?] let us not forget the human element. Compassionate care – for both physical and mental health – is what will allow us to truly leverage the benefits of digital tools and other technology, because compassion and solidarity are at the heart of what primary health care really is. In other words, we must strive to be digital but human.” [WTF?]
Kazakhstan’s inspiring example
At this week’s conference in Astana, representatives from many of the 70 WHO Member States attending from across the world shared their PHC experiences – challenges and successes alike. Among them was the host Kazakhstan, whose Minister of Healthcare, Dr Azhar Giniyat, spelled out her country’s triumph in primary health care, using the integration of mental health services as an example….
“Primary Care”
I really hate that term. It’s not about practicing medicine. It’s about getting you into a “system.”
"Emphasize primary care" now where have I heard that before? Oh yes, it was 40 years ago and continuously through the present moment of my career as a GP. What government / corporate healthcare was always intending was to diminish the skills and functions and central importance of the "pcp" and make him a clerk, a doorman, a stock boy. I'd say they have succeeded magnificently. If this sort of emphasis on primary care proceeds apace, our esteemed colleagues will be made entirely of wires, semiconductors and plastic.