Primary Healthcare

Primary healthcare (PHC) is our most used service in the healthcare system. We prioritise the quality of care and aim to promote integrated patient-centered primary health and care services in our thematic work on the topic.

Today, the primary healthcare systems are facing many opportunities and challenges due to digitalisation, health disparities and ageing populations. That is why it needs to reform and change to meet people’s health needs – whether it means offering more remote consultations or integrated care to address chronic conditions. High quality care starts from the moment people seek medical help – at the primary health care level.

Our Expert Group on PHC focuses on how to make primary healthcare services better and more inclusive. They have worked on topics ranging from multimorbidity and ageing to remote care services. The group has collected good examples and have produced policy recommendations for the ways primary healthcare can be made more integrated and person-centred.

Expert Group Members

🇸🇪

Sweden Sverige

Chair

Ms. Irene Nilsson Carlsson
National Board for Health and Welfare

🇪🇪

Estonia Eesti

Co-Chair

Ms. Kaily Susi
Ministry of Social Affairs

Ms. Triin Tõnts
Ministry of Social Affairs

International Technical Advisor

Secretariat

🇫🇮

Finland Suomi

Ms. Tiina Laatikainen
University of Eastern Finland

🇱🇻

Latvia Latvija

Ms. Ieva Melisus
Senior Expert, Health Care Department, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Latvia

Alternate(s)

Ms. Julija Voropaeva
Deputy Head of Outpatient Services Department, National Health Service of Latvia

🇱🇹

Lithuania Lietuva

Ms. Birutė Kavaliauskienė
Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania

Alternate(s)

Ms. Ramunė Andriušaitiene
Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania

Ms. Inga Cechanovičienė
Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania

🇳🇴

Norway Norge

Mr. Knut Berglund
Senior Advisor
Norwegian Directorate of Health
Public Health and General Medicine
Primary care department

🇵🇱

Poland Polska

Ms. Agnieszka Mastalerz-Migas
Wroclaw Medical University

World Health Organization

Dr. Pavlos Theodorakis

Dr. Melitta Jakab
Head Office of the Primary Health Care Office of WHO/Europe, Almaty, Kazakhstan