Be part of the launch of the report of the Lancet Americas Commission on Primary Health Care and Resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean, "No Time to Wait: Resilience as a Cornerstone for Primary Health Care Across Latin America and the Caribbean." This event will bring together leaders and experts to discuss the report’s key findings and recommendations for strengthening health systems in the Region.
📅 29 September 2025 | ⏰ 12:30 – 14:00 p.m. (EDT) | 📺 Live streaming on PAHO TV
Background
The Lancet Americas Commission on Primary Health Care and Resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean, convened by PAHO, the World Bank, and The Lancet, was established to advance knowledge and inform decision-making on the future of health systems in the Region. The Commission emphasizes primary health care (PHC) as the foundation for more equitable, integrated systems that are better prepared to respond to health, social, and climate-related crises
About the report
This event will launch the Commission’s report: No Time to Wait: Resilience as a Cornerstone for Primary Health Care Across Latin America and the Caribbean.
The report highlights the significant social and economic costs of failing to strengthen PHC resilience in the Region and proposes a comprehensive framework with five strategic recommendations:
- Comprehensive and equitable models of care, ensuring continuity of services before, during, and after crises.
- Integration of essential public health functions into PHC.
- Community participation and empowerment to build trust and strengthen local response.
- Multisectoral action, addressing the social determinants of health.
- Sustainable and resilient financing for PHC
The publication stresses that there is no trade-off between building PHC-based systems and strengthening resilience: both goals reinforce each other and are indispensable for advancing universal health in the Region.
Agenda
Opening and Welcome Remarks
- Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr, Director, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- Jaime Saavedra, Director of Human Development for Latin America and the Caribbean, The World Bank
- Taissa Vila, Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet Regional Health – Americas
Commission Video:
Overview of the work of the Lancet Americas Commission on Primary Health Care and Resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean
Presentation of the Report
Overview of the main findings and recommendations by the Commission’s academic co-chairs:
- Sara Bennett, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Marcia C. de Castro, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Comments
- Javier Guzman, Division Chief, Health, Nutrition and Population, Inter-American Development Bank
High-Level Panel Discussion
- Adriano Massuda, Vice Minister of Health, Brazil
- Ximena Aguilera, Minister of Health, Chile
- Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness, Belize
- Iritzel Santamaria, Deputy Director, National Directorate of Planning, Minister of Health, Panama
Closing Remarks from the Commission’s Co-Chairs
Summary of key messages and outline of how the report will inform future work in the Region:
- Cristian Herrera, Senior Health Specialist, The World Bank
- Ernesto Báscolo, Unit Chief, Primary Health Care and Integrated Service Delivery, PAHO
How to participate
Join the live broadcast on PAHO TV and be part of this key dialogue on the future of primary health care and resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean.