Description

“Integration of Public Health services into Primary Health Care”

The Primary Health Care mission implies focusing on the community health and not only on individual health. An important part of services delivered in Primary Health Care institutions should aim at preventing diseases and promoting health. On the other hand, a series of public health programs, for both communicable and chronic diseases control (vaccination, education, surveillance, screening for non communicable disease) reach out community members through PHC services.

Primary Health Care is considered central in Albanian Health System efforts to control diseases and protect the health of all citizens. The overwhelming majority of the population takes contact with the health system at the level of Health Centers and many health problems are solved by general practitioners or even nurses in primary health care settings. Some of the most important recent interventions in health such as check-up program, are focused at Primary Health Care and are aiming to strengthen the culture of prevention and assure universal access to essential services for all the population.  Still, Primary Health Care services are requiring more support and adaptations to meet the needs related to demography, social changes and the health care seeking behavior of public.

It is the first time a national public health conference is dedicated to Primary health care in Albania. This conference will offer an excellent opportunity to discuss about challenges Primary Health Care is facing in Albania; the demographic and epidemiological changes, prevention of non communicable diseases, increased expectations from health care, along with high risks of widening inequalities.

In the conference can be shared a wide range of research, encompassing maternal and child health, non communicable disease comprehensive control, or older people health needs and care. Primary health care, provides a unique medium to integrate all these issues, which otherwise can be seen as different disciplines.

Conference would address another emerging issue primary health care is facing in Albania; the need for integration of health social services to adapt to the specific needs of vulnerable populations (isolated elderly, people with disabilities, Roma community, etc). Both services need to be more coordinated and integrated.

The efficiency of relations between new health care local units (ex. Directories of Public Health) and health centers would be given space for discussion while highlighting ways for better coordination in the field of disease prevention, and assessment of vulnerable and risked groups.

Conference will bring together professionals fromvariousfields, including public health primary health care and social protection and allow them to share experiences and discusses research findings, covering innovative models of services to be developed, efficient systems of management and information for better and more evidence based policies and practices.

Lastly, in the conference will be shared information about the contribution of primary health care in the emergencies such as current Covid-19 pandemic, as well as ideas about PHC adaptation to the long term post Covid effects.