Washington DC, 27 September 2023 (PAHO)- As part of the technical cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Colombia and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, a technical visit of a delegation of Colombian health system professionals took place in Andalusia, Spain, between 11 and 16 September 2023.
Coordinated by the Andalusian School of Public Health (EASP), WHO collaborating center on PHC, and supported by the UHC Partnership, one of WHO’s largest initiatives on international cooperation for universal health coverage and primary health care, this technical visit aimed at exchanging experiences, strategies, knowledge and practices which critical analysis will identify useful elements for strengthening stakeholders’ responsibilities and contribute to the development of the Colombian health system towards universal health.
Participants to the visit included senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Colombia (MSPS), the Secretaries of Health of Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Quindio, the University of Antioquia, the Technological University of Chocó, the University of Applied Sciences (UDCA), the Colombian Association of Medicine (ASCOFAME), the Colombian Association of Nursing (ACOFAEN) and were accompanied by the Health Systems and Services Advisor from WHO/PAHO Colombian Country Office.
Participants have developed a summary of strategic issues and good practices that can be considered as key contributions to (i) Governance of health system, (ii) Integrated services focusing on PHC and (iii) Human Resources for Health and other central issues in the process of advancing towards universal health in the Colombian health system.
This WHO three-level approach (Country, Regional and Headquarters), focused on inter-regional learning on PHC (AMRO/PAHO and EURO) and leveraged by the impactful joint work with the WHO Collaborating Center on PHC from the EASP, has proven to be one of the ideal combinations for impact at country level through a PHC approach towards Universal Health Coverage and guaranteeing the right to health of the populations.
