Ministry of Health, WHO and international partners in Armenia scale up support and efforts to strengthen primary health care across the country

Investing in primary health care is one of the most effective ways to ensure equity and access to health and care services, improve health system performance, build accountability towards better health outcomes.

The meeting brought together a diverse group of participants , including government officials, health care providers, international partners, representatives of regional administrations, national and international experts to align efforts and investments in advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through robust and accessible PHC services in Armenia.

Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Artak Jumayan mentioned, “The normal functioning of the hospitals and other levels of medical care depends on the properly organized functioning of the primary health care. Acknowledging all the existing problems, we have chosen the path of reforms in PHC sector and together with our international partners we must overcome challenges and have the good PHC system that we aim at.”

The policy dialogue is another joint effort of the Ministry of Health, WHO European Center for PHC and WHO Armenia in a series of strategic initiatives to move forward the PHC reforms in Armenia since 2021. The results that have been achieved on this path include strengthened national expertise in effectively operating PHC models tailored to Armenia and implementation of PHC transformation initiatives, harnessing cross country cooperation as well as discussions on development of a new PHC model for Armenia.

Recognizing the efforts made until date by the Ministry of Health to advance UHC in Armenia, the WHO Country Representative, Dr. Siddhartha Sankar Datta, reiterated the importance of primary health care as the foundation of an efficient and equitable health system and a cornerstone to achieve Universal Health Coverage.

“Bringing stakeholders together to propel investments and efforts to strengthen primary health care is not just about improving health outcomes; but also, it’s about building fair and efficient health systems that can provide care to all, especially the most vulnerable, wherever and whenever they need it.

WHO is steadfast to support Armenia’s pathway towards Universal Health Coverage, and we are committed to continue working with the Ministry of Health and our partners, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, members of the UHC-partnership and Lithuania among others, in this pivotal endeavor,” mentioned Dr. Datta addressing participants.

The participants discussed the way forward for development of an appropriate and tailored model of care for urban and rural areas in Armenia, supported by the team of leading experts from the WHO European Center for PHC.

Representatives from partner organizations, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the European Union, agencies of the United Nations in Armenia and other participating stakeholders shared their perspectives on the progress made and the challenges to be addressed towards achieving Universal Health Coverage and making Health for All a reality in Armenia.

The Ministry of Health, WHO and other partners reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing dialogue and partnership in setting out a pragmatic roadmap to implement the model of care, recognizing that a well-functioning primary health care system is essential not only for meeting the health needs of the population but also a key investment for the economy and society as a whole in Armenia.

The policy dialogue is implemented though the UHC-Partnership initiative, which is one of WHO’s largest platforms for international cooperation, which aims to promote UHC and PHC.