Washington, D.C., October 17, 2024 – The Lancet Americas Commission on Primary Health Care and Resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean held its second in-person meeting in Panama City, from October 15-17. During the meeting, commissioners reviewed the progress made in technical work since their first meeting, held in March of this year, and worked on the formulation of recommendations and the development of a model of progress for the coming months.
Throughout the three days of deliberations, they discussed strategies to transform health systems in order to effectively face public health emergencies.
Despite existing efforts, there is still a need to better define the role that PHC should play in transforming health systems to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and adapt effectively to these challenges. To this end, the commission seeks to guide decision-makers in the region to strengthen PHC and foster resilience.
Among the topics addressed, the commissioners reviewed technical progress, including preliminary results of comprehensive reviews of the scientific literature conducted by members of the commission. These results, along with other inputs, will contribute to the definition of the final recommendations.
In addition, a progression model for PHC and resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean countries was consolidated, which will provide a clear framework to guide policies and actions towards stronger and more resilient health systems. Preliminary results of a study on the costs of inaction in strengthening PHC and resilience in the region were also presented.
Finally, a joint dissemination strategy was discussed to maximize the impact of the commission's recommendations on political decision-making in Latin America and the Caribbean, and other regions.
The outcomes of this meeting are expected to drive the commission’s work towards delivering concrete recommendations that will support the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in their progress toward universal health.
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