Health is a human right – yet not everyone can access the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. Primary health care (PHC) provides a whole-of-society approach to achieving universal health coverage, putting people and communities at the centre of health systems.
Despite nearly 50 years of global commitment to PHC, implementation remains fragmented. We need to be clear on what PHC means and how to put it into practice. As WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has reflected, despite its importance, “Primary health care is one of the most misunderstood concepts in public health.”
To help address this gap, WHO launched a new free online course, ‘The Primary Health Care Approach: A Short Course’, available on the WHO Academy online learning platform.
“The strong consensus among WHO Member States to strengthen PHC-oriented health systems is an important opportunity to accelerate progress,” said Dr Kalipso Chalkidou, Director, Department of Performance, Financing and Delivery. “A shared understanding of what PHC means and how it works can help us realize its full potential and turn this commitment into real improvements in people’s health and in how health systems perform.”
The short self-paced course is organized around five core modules with a total learning time of 1.5 hours. Learners explore topics including why PHC matters, the three core components of PHC, the operational and strategic levers for strengthening PHC and how to navigate PHC-oriented transformations through political-economy analysis and leading with compassion.
The course is adapted from the Strengthening Primary Health Care Leadership: Global Capacity Building Course launched in 2024 based on participant feedback and strong demand for a concise and accessible course on PHC. Videos, country examples and linked resources help learners connect the content to their own work and context.
“This course is for everyone. Translating the PHC approach into our clinics, classrooms, communities, meeting rooms and workplaces – it is a shared responsibility. We all play a part in making PHC a reality,” added Dr Chalkidou. “The response to the course has been impressive, with over 3000 participants from over 140 countries in the first few months of its launch. It speaks to the curiosity and commitment of people around the world who are actively working to put the PHC approach into practice.”
A WHO Academy Award of Completion that recognizes the knowledge gained is available upon completion to learners who can share with their networks. The course is currently available in English, with other language versions being explored.