A 2-day virtual mini-conference will examine how primary health care (PHC) reforms move from policy to practice, and why they so often stall along the way.
Despite strong political commitment to PHC, a persistent gap separates national strategies from what happens on the ground. Political and financial priorities still tend to favour hospital-based services, while health professional education rewards specialization over integrated approaches. The result is a cycle of underinvestment, low confidence in PHC and growing reliance on hospital and specialist care.
This cycle undermines the core attributes of PHC – first contact, continuity, coordination, comprehensiveness and person-centredness – at a time of ageing populations and a rising number of people living with chronic conditions.
This cycle undermines the core attributes of PHC – first contact, continuity, coordination, comprehensiveness and person-centredness – at a time of ageing populations and a rising number of people living with chronic conditions.
The aim is to offer pragmatic implementation know-how to policy-makers, managers and other drivers of change in PHC and health systems.
The event is organized by the WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care, jointly with Curatio International Foundation, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Ilia State University, as part of the WHO/Europe PHC mini-conference series.
Mini-conference overview
25 November 2026, 10:00–13:00 CET – Making PHC reform happen: national leadership challenges and solutions
The first day looks at implementation from the national perspective, with a focus on leadership, governance and the political economy of reform.
- 10:00–10:30 – Opening and keynote presentation on key trends, drivers and challenges in reforming PHC
- 10:30–11:20 – Panel discussion on the role of leadership and governance in making PHC reform work
- 11:20–11:30 – Break
- 11:30–13:00 – Plenary on translating policy priorities into sustained implementation, with experiences from Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Uruguay
26 November 2026, 10:00–13:00 CET – Making PHC reform happen locally
The second day takes a deep dive into implementing PHC on the ground.
- 10:00–10:50 – Opening the “black box” of implementation: organizational culture and the role of managers as change agents, with experiences from Georgia and Portugal
- 10:50–11:40 – Trust-building as iteration: how community leaders and local authorities drive change in PHC, with contributions from Italy and Uzbekistan
- 11:40–11:50 – Break
- 11:50–12:50 – Communicating and advocating for PHC across interests, with case studies from Kazakhstan and Italy
- 12:50–13:00 – Closing remarks
Participation
The mini-conference is open to a global audience, with a particular focus on countries of the WHO European Region. It brings together:
- senior national and regional policy-makers and managers involved in designing and implementing PHC reforms;
- leaders from the health sector and related sectors, such as finance and social care;
- representatives of health professional associations;
- community and civil society leaders;
- academics and leaders in PHC professional development; and
- international partners supporting PHC reform.
The mini-conference is open to all through registration.