Webinar Series on Primary Health Care with a Territorial Perspective Concludes with Over 4,000 Participants

Washington, D.C., December 27, 2024 (PAHO) - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) successfully concluded its Webinar series on Primary Health Care with territorial perspective, solidifying its position as a fundamental platform for knowledge exchange and experience sharing across the Americas. Over six sessions held throughout 2024, this initiative brought together more than 4,300 participants from 58 countries and territories, strengthening national capacities and promoting an integrated approach to health service delivery.

Key Topics Addressed

The sessions focused on essential topics for strengthening health systems, including:

• National quality on patient safety policies
• Financing primary care and integrated health care.
• Tools and practices to operationalize the PHC approach.
• Strengthening Essential Public Health Functions in the Caribbean.
• World Patient Safety Day Celebration2024.
• Universal Health Day Celebration 2024, highlighted by the launch of the regional report: Progress in Universal Health in the Americas.
  

Broad Participation of Experts and Regional Leaders
More than 30 panelists from international organizations, ministries of health, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations contributed their expertise to the discussions. Key panelist included:

• Blerta Maliqi, Head of the Health Quality Unit, Integrated Health Services Department, WHO.
• Marco Antonio Manguía, Head of the Quality Unit, Ministry of Health and Sports of Bolivia.
• Yahaira Castro, Technical Lead for the National Quality Plan for Health Service Delivery, Costa Rica.
• Nathalia Meza, Director of Quality, Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare, Paraguay.
• Luz Adriana Zuluaga, Head of the Quality Office, Ministry of Health, Colombia.
  Nuria Prieto, Deputy Director of Care Quality, Ministry of Health, Spain.
• Sebastián Bauhoff, Principal Health Economist, Inter-American Development Bank.
  Cristian Herrera, Senior Health Specialist, Latin America and Caribbean Region, World Bank.
• Ximena Barros, Coordinator of the Universal PHC Financing Roundtable, Ministry of Health, Chile.
• Brenda Morales, Planning and Management Evaluation Unit, Ministry of Health, Honduras.
• Osvaldo Britez, Planning and PHC Department, Ministry of Health, Paraguay.
• Susana Cabrera, Planning and PHC Department, Ministry of Health, Paraguay.
• Shams Syed, Special Program on Primary Health Care, WHO.
• Katherine Rouleau, Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto.
• Amalia Del Riego: PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries
• Sergio Minue, Professor, Andalusian School of Public Health, Spain, WHO Collaborating Center for Primary Health Care.
• Dwight Calixte, Chief Health Planner, Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs.
• Jorge Polanco, Director of Hospital and Allied Health Services, Ministry of Health and Wellness.
• Teri-Ann Joseph, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health, Wellness, and the Environment, Antigua and Barbuda.
• Eldonna Boisson, PAHO/WHO Representative for the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands.
• Nikhil Gupta, Patient Safety Flagship Unit, WHO.
• Evangelina Vásquez Curiel, Regional Representative for Patients for Patient Safety, WHO Patient Safety Program.
• Mauricio Vasco, Ambassador, World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists.
  Jerome Wallcot, Minister of Health, Barbados.
• Santiago García, Vice Minister of Comprehensive Health Care, Paraguay.
• Eva Jane Llopis, PAHO/WHO Representative in Argentina, who delivered the closing remarks.

Resources
Recordings and materials from each session are available on the series official page: Webinar series on Primary Health Care with a Territorial Perspective.