44th DIRECTING COUNCIL
55th SESSION OF THE REGIONAL COMMITTEE
Washington, D.C., USA, 22-26 September 2003

THE 44th DIRECTING COUNCIL,

Having seen Document CD44/9 on primary health care in the Americas;

Considering the Declaration of Alma-Ata (1978), as well as Resolutions CD27.R20 and CD27.R21 on the regional strategies to promote health for all by the year 2000 (HFA2000) and CD28.R11 on the plan of action for the implementation of the regional strategies to promote HFA2000; Resolutions CSP21.R12 and CSP21.R20 on the Regional Plan of Action on HFA2000; Resolutions CD31.R27, CD33.R17, and CD35.R19 on the monitoring and evaluation of the HFA2000 strategies; and Resolutions CD39.R4 and CD40.R11 on renewal of the call for HFA and the health for all strategies;

Observing the impact of a changing environment on primary health care in the Americas; and

Acknowledging the efforts of the countries of the Region to put policies and programs on primary care at the center of their health services systems to meet the goal of health for all-efforts in which the State, nongovernmental organizations, and grassroots community organizations have played a role,

1. To request the Member States to:
    
1. strive to ensure that the necessary resources are available for primary care and that its implementation helps to reduce inequalities in health;
2. renew their commitment to ensuring the human resources development required for primary health care in the long term;
3. boost the potential of primary health care to reorient the health services, fostering the adoption of a health promotion approach;
4. promote the maintenance and strengthening of information and surveillance systems in primary health care;
5. support local communities to participate actively in primary health care.
2. To request the Director to:
    
1. take the principles of primary health care into account in the activities of all technical cooperation programs, especially those related to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals;
2. evaluate the different systems based on primary health care and identify and disseminate information on best practice with a view to improving application of the relevant policies;
3. continue assisting the countries to improve training for health workers in the priority activities of primary health care;
4. place renewed emphasis on support for locally defined primary health care models that are both flexible and adaptable;
5. promote and organize a celebration with activities devoted to underscoring throughout the Region the importance of the 25 years of experience with primary health care in the Americas. This would be a year-long process involving discussions, national commemorations, subregional forums, regional activities, etc.;
6. organize a regional consultation for the definition of future strategic and programmatic orientations in primary health care.