WHO and Its National Health Partners Visited Shamakhi to Review the WHO Country Office's Activities in Strengthening Primary Health Care 

Zaur Aliyev, Chairman of the Board of the State Agency for Mandatory Health Insurance, Vugar Gurbanov, Executive Director of the Management Union of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB), and Dr. Hande Harmancı, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Azerbaijan, visited the Shamakhi district to assess the efforts undertaken by the WHO Country Office in Shamakhi to strengthen primary health care (PHC) services. The purpose of the visit was to familiarize themselves with the work carried out until now and discuss future collaborations between WHO and the country's health institutions in this field. 

The visit included meetings at WHO's Shamakhi Training Center, the Shamakhi Family Health Center (FHC), and the FHC located in Gushchu village. The guests were also introduced to the mobile clinics brought to the region through the WHO project in 2021. During these meetings, WHO experts and local health workers shared their experiences in the field of primary health care in the region and exchanged ideas on its future development. 

At the end of the visit, future cooperation prospects were discussed between the country's health institutions and WHO, with the participation of the head of the Shamakhi District Executive Authority, Tahir Mammadov. 

WHO Azerbaijan has so far implemented the PHC Demonstration, Shamakhi Fellowship Program, and other PHC-related activities in the district to develop an accessible, quality, and comprehensive primary health care model, improve the knowledge and skills of local medical workers, and strengthen the medical staff's capacity for PHC. 

The WHO Country Office has been closely collaborating with national health partners to support the reforms implemented in Azerbaijan in recent years, aiming to strengthen the health system and achieve universal health coverage. Strengthening primary health care remains one of WHO's foremost priorities in the country.