Washington DC, September 19, 2023 (PAHO) – A delegation of experts from Colombia carried out a technical visit to learn about the main elements that characterize the Andalusian public health system in Spain, starting from its construction process, its governance structures, Management tools and policies to strengthen primary health care (PHC). The visit took place from September 11th to 16th.
This initiative is part of the technical collaboration of the Representation of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization for Colombia with the Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MSPS) to implement a structural reform process in the health system. The system aims to adopt the PHC as the basis of the system establish, the organization of integrated and comprehensive networks of territorial health care and services, as well as the composition and professional staff capable of responding to the needs of its diverse population.
The visit was organized jointly with the Andalusian School of Public Health of Andalusia (EASP), a World Health Organization collaborating center in the field of primary health care. The academic program included visits to SSPA centers and facilities, where participants exchanged ideas and had the opportunity to ask questions of policymakers, leaders and health professionals. Likewise, the values, governance structures, regulatory frameworks and policies on which the SSPA is based within the framework of the National Health System (SNS) were analyzed; and the organization of the SSPA service network and the care models of Andalusia, their challenges and opportunities in the new public health scenarios were characterized.
As a result of the technical visit, a technical report will be prepared, divided into three categories: a) Governance; b) Networks and APS; and c) human talents presented by the delegation upon its return to Colombia and translated into a work plan for 2024 – 2025 within the framework of the sector reform proposal.
The visit was attended by 14 delegates from the MSPS, the Vice Ministries of Social Protection and Public Health, the Directorate of Health Promotion and Protection, the Chocó University of Technology, the University of Applied and Environmental Sciences, the University of Antioquia and the Colombian Faculty Association. of Medicine, the Colombian Nursing Association, the Departmental Government of Valle del Cauca, the Departmental Government of Antioquia, the Departmental Government of Quindío, which chairs the National Federation of the Department of Colombia, and the PAHO.
The initiative was developed as part of the financial contribution of the Universal Health Coverage Partnership (UHC-P), which aims to ensure access and coverage of universal health care by strengthening primary health care.
