Promoting equity is one of the greatest challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean. Great progress has been achieved in this area in recent years, as improved social policies have coincided with a favorable economic situation. That is good, but it is not sufficient. Much more progress must be made.

In the health sector, the fastest and most effective way to reduce the social gaps that affect the Region is to apply the primary care strategy, because decentralizing care and reaching out to people generate enormous benefits for individuals, families, and society as a whole.

Paradoxically, this also involves one of the most difficult struggles with regard to public health. Three decades ago, the International Conference in Alma-Ata launched the primary care initiative in order to achieve the noble and ambitious goal of “Health for All”. In most countries, there was little progress toward meeting this goal. This was due in part to successive economic crises and limited resources, and to lack of continuity or insufficient political will. It was also partly due to obstacles that had to be overcome in terms of social structures that perpetuate inequality and poverty.

PAHO has a strong commitment to firmly combat inequity and social exclusion, since overcoming them is indispensable to achieving the objective of health for all. Thus, we have been working intensively to renew and promote the concept of primary health care and to ensure that it becomes a public policy priority in all of the member countries.

That was the objective of the International Conference on Health for Development: “Rights, Facts, and Realities,” held jointly with the Argentine government and Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, and other partners. At the meeting, also known as “Buenos Aires 30/15,” more than 60 governments made a commitment to develop processes that “strive to eliminate inequities in the quality of health services within the countries,” that “support the leadership and stewardship role of the State,” and that “ensure adequate financing of the programs and services that are considered necessary for each country.”

PAHO has promoted this successful conference, which is the first on an international schedule that includes meetings in China, Thailand, and Kazakhstan. PAHO is also committed to collaborating with the member countries to build health systems based on primary health care. The countries that have done so have succeeded in getting people to identify with those systems and defend them as a valued good, because the systems guarantee them equitable access to health. This endeavor should be a fundamental part of efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals and to achieve greater social equity in the Region.

More information:
Statement by Dr. Mirta Roses, Director of PAHO/WHO, at the Close of the Buenos Aires 30/15 International Conference
FRIDAY, 17 AUGUST 2007.

Palabras de la Dra Mirta Roses, Directora OPS/OMS Cierre de la Conferencia Internacional Buenos Aires 30/15.
VIERNES 17 DE AGOSTO, 2007.

Hacia una estrategia de salud para la equidad, basada en la atención primaria
DECLARACIÓN FINAL BUENOS AIRES 30/15.

Renewing Primary Health Care in the Americas
The World Health Organization championed primary health care (PHC) even before 1978, when it adopted the approach as central to the achievement of the goal of “Health for All.” Since that time, the world —and PHC with it—has changed dramatically. The purpose of renewing PHC is to revitalize countries’ capacity to mount a coordinated, effective, and sustainable strategy to tackle existing health problems, prepare for new health challenges, and improve equity. The goal of such an endeavor is to obtain sustainable health gains for all.(17/Aug/2007)
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Strategic and Programmatic Orientations in Primary Health Care (PHC)