Dear Tamar,
The WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care in Almaty is working on a series of vignettes featuring country experiences in strengthening PHC. The country vignettes (briefs) will be four to six-page documents highlighting the transformation
of primary health care during the pandemic. The vignettes will be released for the RC71 session “Realizing the potential of primary health care: lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic in the WHO European Region” which is intended to inspire Member States
to prioritize primary health care as the nexus of simultaneously moving to moving towards UHC, achieving health security, and improving health and wellbeing.
Georgia has been identified as a country to feature and we have been asked by the PHC Center to work with the Ministry and a country author to develop the vignette. We invite
your input on the focus as well as suggestion of a consultant to write the vignette. We have had preliminary discussions with the PHC team and suggest to focus on the rapid scale up of digital health and online services during COVID and how this experience
and lessons learned is shaping and informing the development of PHC in Georgia and strengthening the role of PHC in moving towards UHC. (However if you have other ideas, please suggest.) This would also address the following key topics identified:
- Effective strategies to improve access to primary health care services for rural populations and other vulnerable groups experiencing access barriers particularly due to the service disruption
during the pandemic;
- Inspiring examples to demonstrate the role of the PHC as a platform to advance the four EPW Flagships: mental health, behavioural science, digital health and the immunization 2030 agenda;
The country vignettes will be used for communication purposes and posters to inspire action by enabling cross-country exchanges of experiences. There will be continued “drip-fed” social media communication based on country vignettes showcasing
good practices throughout the year with photo stories and video stories plus summary video narrative. A virtual poster exhibit walkthrough featuring country vignettes of transforming primary health care during the pandemic will accompany the session work.
We need to identify a consultant and narrow down the topic in the next week. I have attached the concept note for additional information. If you have any questions please let me know.
Sincerely,
Allison
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Allison Ekberg Dvaladze
Advisor, Health Policy
WHO Country Office, Georgia
T: +995 322 99 80 73
M: +995 599 75 22 02
