EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As the largest grassroots African institution, specifically dedicated to advocating for frontline health workers that are committed to primary health care (PHC) service delivery and universal health coverage (UHC), we call on leaders across Africa to empower and build effective PHC teams to achieve strong PHC and UHC in Africa. Please pay heed to your health professionals.
Africa faces many new challenges AND opportunities in PHC.
To date, human resources for health in PHC are grossly insufficient in number overall, often inefficiently distributed, lacking adequate training for delivering fully responsive and comprehensive frontline care, and treated inequitably within the health system. There has been a lack of solidarity among key role players in healthcare on the need for adequate PHC funding evidenced by using outdated service delivery and payment models.
However, there are opportunities leaders can capitalize on: global PHC milestones, increasing political will for investment in PHC, and increasingly proven mechanisms for achieving a stronger workforce such as the professionalization of community health workers, clinical task-sharing and the incorporation of family doctors into PHC.
We call on African leaders and global stakeholders to develop and implement a regional forward-looking plan to:
- Train, recruit and maintain a sufficient frontline PHC WORKFORCE. This must include professionalized community health workers, building task-sharing with supportive supervision, distributed leadership, clinical governance by accountable clinicians, and an integrated human resources development plan suitable to PHC.
- Support PHC with RESOURCES. This must include political and funding action on PHC as an investment, a fight for global solidarity action on PHC funding pools and to better manage with strategic purchasing and payment reforms using blended capitation.
- Build robust PHC SYSTEMS. This must envision comprehensive person- family- and people-centred PHC, embrace the bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach for PHC, put Health In All Policies, build quality in PHC, build the District Health System, empanel defined populations to a defined team with community oriented primary care and embrace interoperable e-Health that is person-centred and user-friendly.
As the African Forum for Primary Health Care, we call on Africa to commit to making this plan a reality and building effective PHC teams for UHC in Africa.
Please feel free to leave comments on your suggested changes/additions before 31st September. See link to full document.
P HC is Very important and it should be all people’s business.. Children-The Aging population as well as Pregnant woman are those who need highest level of attention.. Government’s and Policy Makers are to take into consideration on how to get the support for their people..
Great documents this really interesting and good iniatiative for our continent congratulations 👏 to the founders of AFROHC.
Great document. i think he actions are clear and we should have contacts in places where it can be sent after completion.
This is a good document.
A lot of emphasis should be put on strengthening systems to eliminate the – fragmented governance that results from every electoral cycle.
– resources mobilization of human capital to bridge in the wide gap ratio of health care workers Vs population.
– building a culture of fixed routine public health talk or campaigns , about well being, self awareness, communicable diseases, Cancer awareness screening etc.
– capacity build some local personal to bridge in the language barrier gap.
– moderate equipment of dilapidated infrastructure facilities in the rural areas in order to support quality, effective an efficient service s.
Thanks for your fruitful contributions; the following may also be helpful
1-Optimum inclusion of the private health sector to reduce the strain on the public sector
2-Channel more fund to frontline level up to last mile using PBF and other Results Based Financing schemes
3-Improve of Behavioral Change Communication
4-Efficient & timely collection of data for action
5-Managment & accountability
It’s content is very nice. But, the issue is how to support it by finance to make it practical. B/c financial constraint has been challenging the primary health care packages in my previously.
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4.African governments must ensure that the ministry of health and child care and all its branches are headed by nurses and doctors or relevant health professionals not mere politicians. Funds must be set aside to build,modernise,renovate infrastructure (hospitals,clinics and rural health centers. In the Parliament Ministry of health must have representation from all provinces so that health care PHC issues could be addressed.
Let’s capture the definition of primary health care fully as per the WHO ” PHC is health Promotion, Dusease Prevention, Treatment, Rehabilitation and Palliative Care”
Bonjour
Ce document est un excellent travail pour l’Afrique. Après validation la vulgarisation et le plaidoyer doit se faire pour sa ratification dans les différents pays d’Afrique.
Je suis ravi de faire partie de l’équipe.
Tous pour les SSP et la CSU en Afrique.
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BRILLIANT WORK
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This is very great and vital!!! Prudent investment in primary health care (PHC) services is needed as highlighted by the EXECUTIVE SUMMARY…
I appreciation the content of the document Can we add a subtitle about IPC/WASH. IPC/WASH is is the foundation of quality health but unfortunately coverage is very low in PHCs