Washington DC, March 22, 2024 (PAHO) - To promote its initial activities, from March 5 to 7, the members of the Commission on Primary Health Care (PHC) and resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), convened for the first time with the objective of reviewing and updating the policy framework that will guide its activity; design a work plan and generate a strategy for dissemination and influence of the Commission in decision-making for Latin America and the Caribbean.
This commission, made up of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Bank and The Lancet Americas (the regional arm of The Lancet) was launched in January 2024, is made up of 18 experts, and is in charge of producing new knowledge and recommendations to strengthen Primary Health Care and Resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is a multidisciplinary team of experts, managers, policymakers and civil society leaders who seek to ensure solid representation from LAC, as well as gender balance and extensive experience and technical knowledge.
About the Commission
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) there is a great need to better understand how primary health care (PHC) needs to be transformed to contribute to prevent, prepare for, respond, and adapt to public health emergencies. In the Region there are several risks of health emergencies, derived from climate change, the risks of epidemics and pandemics, natural disasters, demographic crises, conflicts and violence, and other related factors. All of this is magnified by the pre-existing weaknesses of health systems, especially in terms of stewardship, governance, budgetary and fiscal constraint, public distrust in institutions, and social and health inequalities.
This is the first Commission of The Lancet Regional Health - Americas edition and represents an effort to provide knowledge that is relevant to the LAC region and that can contribute to global efforts in the field.
For more information about the initiative, visit the web page.
