Evaluation of the organization and provision of primary care in Belarus

In many countries in transition, health reforms are part of profound and comprehensive changes in essential societal functions and values. Reforms of (primary) care are not always based on evidence, and progress may be driven by political arguments or the interests of specific professional groups, rather than by the results of sound evaluations. However, policy-makers and managers nowadays increasingly demand evidence of the progress of reforms and the responsiveness of services. The implementation of the WHO Primary Care Evaluation Tool (PCET) aims to provide a structured approach towards this by drawing on the health systems functions such as governance, financing and resource generation, as well as the characteristics of a good primary care service delivery system: accessibility, comprehensiveness, coordination and continuity. This report gives an overview on the findings for Belarus, including aspects of the provision of tuberculosis and reproductive health services.

The project was implemented in Belarus in 2008 and 2009 in the framework of the Biennial Collaborative Agreement between the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the Ministry of Health of the Republic Belarus 2008-2009, an agreement that lays out the main areas of work for collaboration between the parties. Further partners were the Netherland Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL) – a WHO Collaborating Centre for Primary Care – and other stakeholders in the Belarus health system, such as national policy experts, managers, medical educators, primary care physicians and their patients.