On 26–28 November 2024, the Country Health Emergency Preparedness and IHR Programme of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care (PHC), and the WHO Country Office in Estonia, in conjunction with the Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia, will jointly organize a workshop to be held in Tallinn, Estonia, focused on preparing PHC systems for emergencies. The workshop will promote WHO’s available resources to strengthen PHC in emergency contexts, allow participants to exchange experiences, and aim to identify the critical needs and gaps in enabling PHC systems to remain functional in times of crisis.
The workshop will convene PHC practitioners, technical experts, and national policy-makers from across the European Region, who will engage in interactive sessions to build capacity in PHC in emergencies, share ideas, and collectively define a way forward to strengthen PHC systems.
A key highlight of the workshop is a practical simulation exercise for the hosting country, which will enable the Estonian participants to practice what they learned and imagine responding to a real emergency. Specifically, this tabletop exercise will provide suggestions and identify bottlenecks in the area of communication and cooperation, care amongst PHC specialists (doctors, nurses, community pharmacists) and between health-care levels, to ensure a continuity of essential health services in crisis situations.
This workshop aligns with initiatives to strengthen PHC preparedness across the European Region and improve country preparedness for emergencies. It will serve as a kick-off for future activities and the development of additional resources that will allow Member States to strengthen the resilience of their PHC systems.