Mira Jovanovski Dasic1
1SEE Health Network Secretariat, Skopje, North Macedonia.
The South-Eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) is a regional intergovernmental organization founded in 2001 with the aim to promote collaboration, common values and to encourage mutual efforts towards peace, health and well-being of the people in the member states. SEEHN is providing platform for discussion and exchange of best practices between nine member states in priority areas of its focus.
SEEHN mission is to improve health of member states’ populations through better and more intense cooperation, collaboration, integration, capacity building and coordination in public health at regional level, by following a comprehensive approach that integrates health in all policies.
Why do we need this kind of cooperation?
- It is the only SEE regional organization exclusively focused on health
- It addresses common health issues in SEEHN member states (Western Balkans and beyond)
- It serves as an additional channel for cooperation
- It advocates with a single voice for public health
- It is a meaningful voice for global health.
Public health (PH) and primary health care (PHC) are natural partners for addressing the challenges of populations’ health and are among the SEEHN highest priorities.
With the ever changing landscape of healthcare, especially now during the COVID -19 reality, the need to work together and address PH and PHC integration to improve wellness and health outcomes has never been greater.
PH and PHC integration is necessary to change the health services to deliver a truly comprehensive service that can help achieve universal health coverage. This will in turn fulfil the dream of the Declaration of Alma-Ata stated 40 years ago: “Health for All”.
Keywords: health for all, primary health care, regional organization, SEEHN.