ASUNCION, (PAHO) – Paraguay has officially joined the Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas, a regional initiative led by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Bank, and the Inter‑American Development Bank (IDB). The Alliance aims to strengthen investment and expand health access across the region.
As part of this commitment, Paraguay’s Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare (MSPyBS) signed the founding agreement for the Mesa Consultiva for Primary Health Care, which will serve as a platform to jointly address inequities in health access, advance toward universal coverage, and tackle emerging challenges such as climate change and demographic and epidemiological transitions.
“This is a day of profound significance for our health system. With the establishment of the Mesa Consultiva for Primary Health Care, we take on this commitment with seriousness and enthusiasm, as transforming the health system requires unity and collaboration,” said minister of health, Dr María Teresa Barán Wasilchuk. “We have strategic partners whose expertise and support are essential to providing excellence to the people of Paraguay, and with this initiative we are joining efforts to carry out coordinated actions that guide and align investments based on the primary health care approach,,” she added.
Participating remotely from PAHO’s Washington, DC headquarters, PAHO director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa remarked, “Paraguay is taking a key step forward. This Mesa Consultiva will guide investment, improve spending efficiency, and ensure that every action contributes toward national health goals. We applaud Paraguay’s commitment to this transformative vision.”
Also participanting in the ceremony where World Bank Resident Representative in Paraguay Harold Bedoya; IDB’s Paraguay Office Head of Operations Manuel Fernandini Puga; Counselor of Paraguay’s Mission to the Organization of American States (OAS) Ana Sandoval; and PAHO/WHO Interim Representative in Paraguay, Dr Haydee Padilla.
Through this new coordination platform, Paraguay will promote inter-institutional collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the implementation of innovative policies to strengthen its health system, with primary care as a central pillar to ensuring more equitable, resilient, and sustainable health for all the population.
“Protecting Paraguay’s human capital—by investing in population health—not only helps reducing disease burden but also fuels economic growth. At the World Bank we recognize primary health care as key to achieving universal coverage, and for this reason, we reaffirm our commitment with the Alliance, as it aligns with our efforts to strengthen primary health care networks, and ensures access to quality services for everyone,” commented Harold Bedoya.
Javier Guzmán, chief of the health, nutrition, and population at the IDB, added: “Strengthening primary health care is a strategic bet for the sustainability of health systems. The IDB supports Paraguay in this endeavor with a long-term vision, promoting innovative management models that can be replicated in other contexts across the region.”
This Mesa Consultiva will help position primary health care as the foundation of Paraguay’s health system—aligned with the National Development Plan Paraguay 2030, the 2015–2030 National Health Policy, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare Institutional Strategic Plan 2024–2028, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
About the Alliance for primary health care in the Americas
Launched in December 2023 by PAHO, the IDB, and the World Bank, the Alliance aims to strengthen investment, innovation, and policy implementation to transform health systems in the region—with a strong focus on primary health care. Paraguay becomes the fourth country to formally join, following the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Chile.
Operating through a decentralized, inclusive structure, the Alliance fosters strategic and technical dialogue among the three organizations, and national health authorities. It supports the development of national primary-care investment plans, provides guidance on enhancing health system resilience and capacity, and collaborates in the design and implementation of evidence-based interventions tailored to local contexts and challenges.
