Michael Kidd: update and the importance of primary care

Photo: Michael was recently seen at the WONCA EMR conference with two other former presidents of WONCA, Rich Roberts and Chris van Weel

Professor Michael Kidd, WONCA Immediate Past President updates us on his latest activities and gives us two great resources relating to the importance of primary care.


Dear colleagues

I have been in Washington DC this week, visiting the Robert Graham Centre for policy studies in family practice and primary care, based in the American Academy of Family Physicians.

While in town, I met with our colleagues at the World Bank involved in the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative, run by the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization, with the support of WONCA.

I wanted to share two resources with you that the folk at the World Bank shared with me.

One is a recent video posted by Bill Gates where he describes the importance of strengthening primary health care systems and uses the example of Rwanda and the remarkable success in that country in reducing childhood mortality.

The other is wonderful piece from The Conversation about the importance of strengthening primary care to prevent and manage epidemics, with a focus on Ebola and Zika.

I think you will enjoy both

Best wishes

Michael

Professor Michael Kidd AM FAHMS

The Robert Graham Centre has written a guest policy bite for WONCA on "Valuing, Measuring & Paying for Primary Care’s Foundations: Comprehensiveness, Continuity, & Coordination". Find out more here.