The GCCH Position Paper on Integrating Circulatory Health Interventions into Primary Care for UHC – in a Nutshell
The Global Coalition for Circulatory Health (GCCH), of which ISN is a member of its leadership group, has published a position paper, “The Road to Universal Health Coverage (UHC): Why Integration of Circulatory Health Interventions in Primary Care is Essential.”
Access the full position paper here.
Below, we’ve summarized the crucial points from the paper:
The financial burden of circulatory diseases
Circulatory diseases impose substantial financial burdens on individuals and communities, leading to poverty and catastrophic health expenditures, especially in the absence of national health insurance schemes.
The case for comprehensive primary care
Comprehensive primary care plays a critical role in reducing the impact of circulatory diseases and improving overall population health.
Recommendations include expanding primary care, training non-physician healthcare providers, and integrating multidisciplinary approaches to healthcare.
Evidence-based interventions and recommendations
It is critically important to integrate cost-effective interventions for circulatory diseases, with the recommendation that decision-makers prioritize a list of 10 interventions in UHC benefit packages in primary healthcare. Governments are urged to prioritize primary healthcare funding to improve access to quality health services.
Overcoming barriers and prioritizing primary care
Barriers to implementing cost-effective interventions include:
- Lack of awareness among policymakers
- Insufficient investments
- Limited funding
- Shortage of health workers
- Delayed inclusion of circulatory diseases in primary care services
The authors stress the need for collaborative efforts from stakeholders to prioritize primary care, increase health workforce capacity, and improve access to quality health services for circulatory conditions.
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