HEALTH INVESTMENT AND ECONOMIC CRISIS

  • by Mirta Roses-Periago
  • Inter Press Service

At a time in which countries in the Americas are facing not only the effects of the worldwide economic crisis but also significant health challenges, it is crucial to increase or to at least maintain public health spending while using this opportunity to undertake a strong primary health care-based reform of their health systems, writes Mirta Roses-Periago is Director of the Pan American Health Organisation.

In this article, Roses-Periago writes that there is conclusive evidence from around the world that PHC-based health systems have better and more equitable health outcomes, are more efficient, have lower long-term costs, and are more resilient to crisis, demographic, and epidemiological changes. Even countries with limited resources that adopted a PHC approach have been able to build systems that are universal, equitable, flexible, and sustainable, and that deliver better results.

The question is how to invest in public health in a manner that achieves wider coverage and strengthens health care systems, while also ensuring the utmost efficiency in the use of resources and the highest return on social investment.We have a historic opportunity to achieve both aims by firmly implementing and strengthening health systems based on primary health care.

© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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