The event, which started yesterday, aims to position the discipline as an essential factor in the transformation of healthcare systems in the 21st century, according to the content of the virtual panels and workshops on the agenda.
During the inauguration, Guatemalan Minister of Health Francisco Coma called the meeting essential to build a better architecture for the network of health services in this Central American nation.
“This summit aims to strengthen the knowledge of our health professionals and inter-agency efforts to reach all corners of the country despite the distance and difficult access,” Coma said.
“It is a privilege for me to exchange ideas with experts who have helped reform the systems of many countries. To have the support and conviction of more than one institution to integrate family and community medicine in our country is reassuring,” he argued.
Among the objectives of the meeting is to promote progress towards universal access to health and institutionalization of general medicine in order to strengthen skills, quality and the profile of specialists and the system, according to the organizers.
This Friday’s program includes a policy panel with representatives from the Guatemalan Ministry of Public Health and Welfare (Mspas) and the Pan American Health Organization.
Likewise, the knowledge gained worldwide for the implementation of community family medicine and its application in Guatemala, the sustainability of its strategy beyond the governments and related experiences of Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Spain are discussed.
At the end, after two days of learning and dialogue, the conclusions and recommendations are shared between experts and participants as an action plan.
Mspas and the Guatemalan Social Security Institute were responsible for organizing the summit.
lam/mmc