Right Health Foundations First: Public Health and Primary Health Care
1
Deputy Dean Faculty of Health Sciences, UCT, Cape Town, South Africa
2
DDG Hospitals and Human Resources, National Department of Health, Pretoria, South Africa
3
Director General, Eastern Central and Southern African Health Community, Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic of
4
Advisor to the President, Government of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
5
Dean, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
6
COO Department of Health and Wellness, Western Cape Government., Cape Town, South Africa
7
President -College of Public Health Medicine, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1748
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Across many African national health systems, leadership, governance and management, health financing, and health workforce policy remain disproportionately oriented toward curative and hospital-based service delivery, while core public health functions of protection, promotion, and prevention; together with primary health care (PHC) are comparatively underprioritized. This misalignment weakens health system resilience; limits action on the social determinants of health and constrains long-term population health gains. Placing the right health foundations first requires repositioning primary health care and public health not as complementary add-ons, but as the central organising logic of national health systems. A public health and PHC-oriented approach, anchored in people-centred, community-based service delivery, impactful intersectoral action, fit for purpose education, and implementation research can provide the essential platform for governing, planning, and delivering impactful systems for population health.
METHODS:
This session will use a 60-minute interactive roundtable format combining short provocations, moderated dialogue, and active participant engagement. Drawing on policy, academic, and health systems perspectives, the discussion will critically examine how public health and primary health care are currently conceptualised, financed, and operationalised, and identify where foundational investments and governance reforms are needed.
RESULTS:
The roundtable aims to generate actionable insights on how centering public health and primary health care can reshape service delivery models, strengthen disease prevention, control, and pandemic preparedness, and inform health workforce development and education. It will identify strategic leverage points for rebalancing investment and system design.
CONCLUSIONS:
Putting the right health foundations first by recentering public health and primary health care as core health system strengthening functions is essential to advancing equity, resilience, and sustainability in South Africa’s, Africa’s, and global public health futures.
Across many African national health systems, leadership, governance and management, health financing, and health workforce policy remain disproportionately oriented toward curative and hospital-based service delivery, while core public health functions of protection, promotion, and prevention; together with primary health care (PHC) are comparatively underprioritized. This misalignment weakens health system resilience; limits action on the social determinants of health and constrains long-term population health gains. Placing the right health foundations first requires repositioning primary health care and public health not as complementary add-ons, but as the central organising logic of national health systems. A public health and PHC-oriented approach, anchored in people-centred, community-based service delivery, impactful intersectoral action, fit for purpose education, and implementation research can provide the essential platform for governing, planning, and delivering impactful systems for population health.
METHODS:
This session will use a 60-minute interactive roundtable format combining short provocations, moderated dialogue, and active participant engagement. Drawing on policy, academic, and health systems perspectives, the discussion will critically examine how public health and primary health care are currently conceptualised, financed, and operationalised, and identify where foundational investments and governance reforms are needed.
RESULTS:
The roundtable aims to generate actionable insights on how centering public health and primary health care can reshape service delivery models, strengthen disease prevention, control, and pandemic preparedness, and inform health workforce development and education. It will identify strategic leverage points for rebalancing investment and system design.
CONCLUSIONS:
Putting the right health foundations first by recentering public health and primary health care as core health system strengthening functions is essential to advancing equity, resilience, and sustainability in South Africa’s, Africa’s, and global public health futures.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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