Luanda – Angola held the first National Forum on Immunization and Primary Health Care on 16 June this year, reaffirming the strategic importance of immunization as a platform to accelerate the provision of integrated, equitable and sustainable services, and guarantee universal coverage of health.

In recent years, the country has been making significant investments in the health sector, with emphasis on increasing the workforce, improving health infrastructure and strengthening the capacity to respond to public health emergencies, including vaccination against Covid-19.

However, there are still several challenges to achieve universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular with regard to routine vaccination coverage, the still high levels of malaria, diarrheal diseases, pneumonia, acute malnutrition, tuberculosis, and the increase in chronic non-communicable diseases. This situation concerns local authorities and their partners and encourages them to accelerate the implementation of strategic initiatives to promote access to efficient and quality health services.

According to the Minister of State for the Social Area, Dr. Carolina Cerqueira, the government is committed to increasing access to health care for everyone and everywhere, to achieve the national commitment to Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Health is one of the most powerful factors for justice and social cohesion, but also for creating wealth for the desired sustainable development and the well-being of populations. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a more significant investment in Primary Health Care, expanding coverage and improving the functioning of primary care health units in communities, offering integrated packages of care and services to promote health, prevent disease, guarantee the adequate and timely treatment to populations”.

The World Health Organization (WHO) upholds that strengthening the Primary Health Care system, together with strong capacity building and community participation, are the cornerstones for achieving Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to health. To achieve this goal, the Angolan authorities and their partners approved the "Luanda Declaration on Primary Health Care and Immunization in Angola", which among several actions determines the sustainable increase of equitable financing for health in the three levels of national services. of health, with a focus on primary health care.

“We congratulate the Government of Angola for its commitment to Primary Health Care, and especially to the well-being of women and children in Africa,” said WHO Deputy Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Lindiwe Makubalo. “Despite the daunting challenges posed by the response to the Covid19 pandemic in the last almost two and a half years, the Angolan government has guaranteed the allocation of funds to the health sector, translated into a 35% increase in the recruitment of health professionals, together with investment, continuous improvement in health infrastructure that will improve access to quality health care in the future”.

The Forum on Immunization and Primary Health Care, hosted by the Ministry of Health with the support of WHO, UNICEF, GAVI and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was attended by more than 300 participants, including health entities, from the central government, provincial, municipal and communal, from the private sector, academia and civil society, as well as representatives from other sectors and international partners.

The following themes: (1) Universalization of Primary Health Care and financing of the essential package, (2) Health Financing as a Sustainable Factor for Health Improvement in Municipalities, and (3) Immunization, a platform for Universal Coverage of Health Care Primary Health, marked the discussions during the first Forum on Primary Health Care and Immunization in Angola.