This year the international public health community celebrates the 40th anniversary of the “Health for All by 2000” Declaration on Primary Health Care (PHC) adopted at a symposium organized in Alma-Ata (former USSR) in 1978. PHC is both a philosophy and a strategy that embodies a radical shift in thinking about health, health care and health development. It is driven by a strong ethos of social justice and is key in enhancing the performance of health systems.

For the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, PHC and its underlying value basis remain a major source of inspiration for its academic work in the field of teaching, research and capacity building. The development of PHC is coherent with two current international priorities — Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.

On Tuesday 23rd of October, the ITM is organizing an international symposium on PHC with the aim to re-emphasize its relevance for health systems worldwide, but also to reflect on innovative approaches to establish effective PHC policies in a rapidly changing global environment. It will gather in Antwerp a varied audience of public health students, health professionals, academia, civil society representatives, aid organisations and public health policymakers – from both the South and the North.

………………
Save the date. The final symposium programme and the practicalities for registration will be available in early September. Contact: Bart Criel, ITM Antwerp

close-to-client care