Washington DC, 24 April 2024- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) participated at sidelines events of the 2024 World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings and contributed to discussions on payment mechanisms for Primary Health Care (PHC) and to mitigate healthcare workers migration in the Americas.
Payment mechanisms for Primary Health Care
As part of the activities of the Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas, PAHO, the World Bank (WB), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) participated at a special session on payment mechanisms for Primary Health Care (PHC) during the 7th Annual Health Financing Forum (AHFF7): Investing in Health in the Post-COVID Era, on April 15 in Washington DC.
The session on "Update on Regional Collaborations for Stronger Primary Health Care Systems in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Region," discussed how capitation-based payment systems combined with other payment models can be used as a management tool to better align resources to population needs and health sector strategic objectives. Among the speakers were James Fitzgerald, PAHO’s Director of Health Systems and Services, and Ernesto Báscolo, Unit Chief, Primary Health Care and Integrated Service Delivery at PAHO, Juan Pablo Uribe, Global Director for Health Nutrition and Population, of the World Bank, and Pablo Ibarraran, Chief, Social Protection and Health, of the IDB. Representatives from Belize, Chile, and Honduras presented their experiences, identifying progress, challenges, and outcomes in terms of health service access and quality.
International Labor Mobility of Healthcare workers
In another session titled "International Labor Mobility of Healthcare Workers: Opportunities and Challenges," which took place on 19 April, Benjamín Puertas, unit chief of Human Resources for Health at PAHO, presented the current situation and actions to mitigate migration of healthcare workers in the Americas. This event offered a space to explore the benefits of well-managed international mobility of health personnel, including enhanced skill-building and strengthened healthcare systems.
“The Alliance for Primary Health Care between the World Bank, IDB, and PAHO is an opportunity to advance together in identifying actions to strengthen the human resources for health retention strategies, and the ethical recruitment of staff in the Americas,” said Puertas.
The focus of the session was on framing and expanding collaboration on policy and financing options to ensure international labor markets for healthcare workers effectively balance potential opportunities with the prevailing challenges.
The session brought together key stakeholders from the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, PAHO, regional and national authorities: Iffath Sharif, Global Director, Social Protection and Jobs, World Bank; Juan Pablo Uribe, Global Director, Health, Nutrition & Population and Global Financing Facility, World Bank; James Campbell, Global Director, Health Workforce, World Health Organization; Gloria Balboa, Assistant Secretary of Health, Philippines; Trina Haque, Regional Director Human Development, West Africa Region, World Bank.
