The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a free online course to help healthcare professionals and other stakeholders better understand and implement the primary health care (PHC) approach.

The self-paced course, “The Primary Health Care Approach: A Short Course,” is available through the WHO Academy and takes around 1.5 hours to complete. It covers why PHC matters, its three core components, key strategies for strengthening PHC-oriented health systems, and approaches to leading health system transformation.

The course builds on WHO’s 2024 global capacity-building programme and was developed in response to demand for a shorter, accessible learning resource. It includes videos, country examples and additional resources to help learners apply PHC principles in their own settings.

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“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.”

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The course is currently available in English, with additional languages being explored. Participants who complete it can receive a WHO Academy Award of Completion.