Western Pacific Regional Strategy for Health Systems Based on the Values of Primary Health Care
Health systems do better at attaining a high standard of care if they are underpinned by core values such as equity, social justice, universality, people-centredness and community protection. Primary health care is closely related to but not synonymous with primary care. A strong primary care system is the foundation for a health system based on primary health care values, but secondary and tertiary services that connect to the primary care system are also vital. A whole-of-system approach based on the values of primary health care is proposed as the most effective and sustainable way of strengthening health systems.