Kazakhstan Continues to Champion Primary Health care Worldwide, DKnews.kz reports.

The Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan hosted a presentation at the Palais des Nations, presenting the initiative to create a Global Coalition of Countries on Primary Health Care (PHC). The event was attended by Permanent Representatives and diplomats, highlighting the global interest and commitment to strengthening primary health care systems.

Creating the Coalition of Countries on PHC was proposed by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in October 2023 during the Global Conference on PHC in Astana, dedicated to the 45th anniversary of the Alma-Ata Declaration and the 5th anniversary of the Astana Declaration. The coalition’s goal to support the radical reorientation of health systems towards PHC across the world.

Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan Yerlan Alimbayev in his presentation gave an overview of the PHC Coalition initiative, its goals, operational mechanisms, and the benefits for participating countries.

“The Coalition aims to support the attainment of Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG3, which focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages” Yerlan Alimbayev

Furthermore, he outlined the objectives of the PHC Coalition, which include political mobilization for PHC, policy advocacy, and knowledge exchange, and invited countries to join.

The event also featured Suraya Dalil, Director of the World Health Organization Special Programme on Primary Health Care, as a guest speaker. Suraya Dalil commended Kazakhstan’s initiative, noting its alignment with global health goals and the WHO’s commitment to strengthening primary health care worldwide. Stating that half the world's population is not fully covered by essential health services, she reiterated the importance of PHC in achieving universal health coverage.

The Coalition will function as an international alliance and partnership platform, benefiting from existing WHO resources and mechanisms, and ensuring interaction between partners, sharing knowledge, best practices and developing ideas.

The event concluded with a Q&A session, where participants discussed the coalition’s methods of work and ways forward.

More information on the Coalition can be found here.