Primary Health Care First
Investing in primary health care is an urgent priority for saving lives and a critical first step toward achieving universal health coverage by 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals.
At least half of the world’s population still does not have access to quality essential health services and 100 million people in low- and middle-income countries are being pushed into poverty because of out-of-pocket spending on health. To overcome these inequalities, United Nations member states designated the achievement of universal health coverage (UHC) as a priority commitment within the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A strong primary health care (PHC) system is a cornerstone of achieving UHC. However, PHC does not rank highly on the list of global health policy or financing priorities, despite the fact that 90 percent of a community’s health needs can be met with a well-functioning primary health care system.
The PHC Strategy Group, a civil society coalition with representatives from around the world, advocates for policy and financing mechanisms to strengthen PHC systems.