ProCare hosts primary care forum

MEDIA RELEASE

4 March 2009

ProCare hosts primary care forum with World Health physicians

AUCKLAND – ProCare Health Limited hosted a forum this week on the World Health Organization (WHO) report on primary health care, Now More Than Ever, which featured keynote presentations from two leading WHO physicians.

The keynote speakers – Dr Kumanan Rasanathan and Dr Don Matheson – discussed the progress of primary care over the past 30 years and the reforms needed to promote and protect health for all communities around the world.

Dr Rasanathan, one of the principal authors of the WHO report and a New Zealand public health medicine specialist, outlined four key areas of reform needed in primary health care: universal coverage that eliminates health inequities, service delivery that puts people first, leadership that makes health authorities more reliable, and public policy that secures healthier communities.

Dr Don Matheson, a WHO advisor and former Deputy Director General of Public Health for the MOH, said New Zealand’s health care system has succeeded in many ways and serves as a strong model of effective primary care for other countries. But he urged the forum attendees to ensure primary care in New Zealand takes a more patient-centric focus.

“Primary care is currently seen in New Zealand as the antithesis of the hospital,” he said. “But I think the goal of primary care is to become the coordinator of a comprehensive patient-centred response at all levels.”

ProCare Chief Executive, Ron Hooton said: “The forum was a great opportunity not only to gain first-hand global perspective on primary health care and to share the results of this influential WHO report, but also to bring together New Zealand health organisations to stimulate discussion on how we can work together to improve primary care here.”

The forum attracted more than 50 people from Auckland’s district health boards, primary health organisations, the University of Auckland and the Ministry of Health.

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