Scope
Achieving this outcome requires improved national and subnational health policies and planning, strengthening of the essential public health functions, sustained and improved public financing for health in which financial and non-financial health access barriers are addressed, and a fit-for-purpose health workforce. Specifically, the following actions will be implemented:
Strengthen the capacity of health authorities to lead effective, participatory, and comprehensive national and subnational processes and formulate, monitor, and evaluate policies, plans, and programs to improve health throughout the life course, based on evidence and quality data. This will entail the reorientation of health systems toward primary health care, including the regulation of resources (financial, technological, health workforce) that impact the achievement of universal access to health and universal health coverage and health system resilience.
Improve and prioritize the evaluation and implementation of the essential public health functions at all institutional levels in collaboration with civil society to strengthen the development of health systems based on primary health care.
Generate evidence and information on health financing and the economy, increase and improve public expenditure and resource allocation in health, prioritizing investments in health development and promotion, disease prevention, and the expansion of health systems based on primary health care. Protect against financial risks that cause impoverishing or catastrophic expenditure.
Promote and undertake continued analysis of the health workforce and labor market, and lead intersectoral planning processes to attract, recruit, and retain health workers, and address substantive workforce gaps, accelerating the availability of a well-qualified, well-distributed workforce, particularly for remote and underserved areas and populations.
Promote the transformation of health-professional education based on primary health care, supporting interprofessional capacity building, the organization of interprofessional teams within health services, and the development of public health capacities.
Key Interventions
Strengthen governance and institutional capacities based on the essential public health functions for building resilience, in collaboration with the Network on Essential Public Health Functions for Stewardship and Governance in the Americas.
Provide tools and technical cooperation to develop, implement, finance, and evaluate action plans and strategies to strengthen the essential public health functions, including resilience, preparedness, and response to health emergencies.
Provide tools and technical cooperation to formulate policies focused on strengthening health systems based on primary health care.
Strengthen information systems to monitor primary health care policies, unmet healthcare needs, and barriers to access.
Build capacity and generate evidence in health economics and health financing, thus supporting ways to increase and improve fiscally sustainable public investment in health with efficiency and access to health for all as guiding principles.
Improve country capacity to generate evidence and identify and measure the main sources of out-of-pocket expenditure, to improve financial protection and reduce financial barriers to access.
Work with countries to articulate high-level coordination mechanisms between health, education, labor, finance, and other sectors to reinforce policies, planning, and regulation for human resources for health (HRH), as well as HRH information systems to support the availability, adequate distribution, recruitment, retention, and development of the health workforce.
Strengthen health workforce capacity and resilience through development and regulation of interprofessional competencies and teams, including continuing education and lifelong learning through the PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health and other PASB-supported platforms.