Building a PHC Global Community
Delivering primary health care during and recovering from the COVID pandemic
Phase One of the virtual Learning Exchange (October 2020 – May 2021) used a collaborative problem-solving approach where participants brainstormed and crowd-sourced practical solutions to challenges they face in their day-to-day work. Participants in the Learning Exchanges met monthly to learn from experts in plenary and participate in facilitated peer-to-peer problem-solving, modeled after Feedback Labs LabStorm. Representatives from participating countries brought forward a challenge they were facing and posed 3 questions to the group, who drew on their own knowledge and expertise to provide reflections and possible solutions. These resources from Feedback Labs explain how and why this type of collaborative problem-solving model works.
This exchange focused on two themes:
- Transforming the Health System to Prioritize PHC | sharing of best and promising practices related to PHC prioritization and advocacy.
- Understanding and Utilizing Data in COVID-19 Response and Recovery | sharing of best and promising practices related to PHC data collection and use in PHC decision-making, especially during the COVID-19 response.
Explore the Collaborative Problem-Solving Themes
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Transforming the Health System to Prioritize Primary Health Care
Given that decisions and investments made during the COVID-19 response will inform health system future planning, there is a need to amplify and elevate discussions around prioritizing PHC as we emerge from the pandemic and rebuild stronger health systems. Policy makers and implementers need to learn effective advocacy skills to communicate the importance of PHC — to legislature, ministry of finance, private sector and community — in the pandemic response and the anticipated shifts to the health system in the wake of the pandemic. This group explored the role of PHC in “building back better.” -
Understanding and Utilizing Data in COVID-19 Response and Recovery
Data played a critical role both in the rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to effectively maintaining essential services during the crisis. Without surveillance data to identify hotspots or service statistics to warn about reduced utilization of critical services, policymakers and health programmers would not have been well positioned to respond effectively or efficiently. This Learning Exchange enabled sharing of best and promising practices related to PHC data collection and use in PHC decision-making, especially during the COVID-19 response.