29
Jan

Primary health care (PHC) has been integral to development strategies for nearly half a century, valued for its inclusivity, equity and cost-efficiency in delivering health services. It also bolsters resilience against pandemics and natural disasters which are crucial given the challenges posed by climate change, epidemiologic and demographic transitions. This is evident during COVID-19 pandemic where initial investments leaned towards hospital capacities and to a lesser extent on PHC, which had slowed effective and timely response especially to vulnerable populations in communities.

In the East Asia Pacific (EAP) region, the progress, challenges and direction of PHC investments widely vary given the economic, socio-demographic and cultural diversity of countries. From the most populous country in Asia to the least populous in the remote islands in the Pacific. With this, a deeper understanding on the interrelated and systemic causes and health system models that are pivotal to have adequate and efficient financing, human resources, governance and community engagement of PHC systems within and across countries in the Region. This will give more vivid picture on what a high-performing PHC systems look like in a country specific context that will enable accelerated progress in achieving equitable health outcomes.

To tackle these issues, the World Bank’s Health, Nutrition and Population (HNP) Global Practice and the East Asia and Pacific Chief Economist (EAPCE) Office, in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, developed a PHC report aimed at supporting necessary reforms and create a compelling regional narrative for policy-makers in ministries of finance and health. This can provide critical assessment of PHC in the EAP region, highlighting effective strategies for improvement. Findings were obtained from comprehensive document review and interviews of experts and ministries of health in 25 countries including 11 from the Pacific.

The report showcases the status, trends, policies, strategies and country cases on five PHC systems domains—governance, human resource for health, quality of care, financing, health information technology, service delivery, referral systems and patient empowerment