Primary Health Care Concludes 2026 Annual Meeting, Issues Key Recommendations

KHARTOUM /

After four days of deliberations at Al Salam Rotana Hotel in Khartoum, the General Directorate of Primary Health Care concluded its 2026 Annual Meeting, held under the theme: “Towards Improving the Quality and Continuity of Services and Strengthening Governance.”
The meeting concluded with a comprehensive set of recommendations across several key areas.
In the area of leadership and governance, participants recommended adopting a unified national organizational structure for Primary Health Care with flexibility for states to adapt it to their specific circumstances. They also called for requiring all states and partners to implement a unified health information system and ensure that decision-making is based on reliable data. Additional recommendations included updating national digital health policies, unifying digital platforms, activating governance structures and coordination committees to restore suspended health institutions, and strengthening collaboration with universities in training, research, and community engagement.
Regarding health service delivery, the meeting recommended updating the essential health service packages in line with World Health Organization guidelines, rehabilitating damaged health facilities, and ensuring the availability of essential medicines and medical supplies. It emphasized prioritizing maternal, newborn, and child health, implementing and expanding the National Community Health Strategy (2025–2030) across all states, enhancing coordination among different levels of emergency response, reopening tuberculosis control centers, integrating non-communicable disease services into routine primary care, and strengthening coordination between primary health care, ambulance services, and hospitals to ensure continuity of care.
On the health workforce, participants recommended developing a national strategy to retain and equitably distribute health personnel, expanding training programs for midwives and community health assistants according to state needs, activating the Human Resources Committee and establishing a national health workforce database (Health Workforce Observatory), attracting medical interns and resident doctors to work in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria treatment centers, and creating a clear career pathway for emergency and referral personnel to ensure sustainability.
In the area of medicines and medical technology, recommendations included providing essential medicines, medical equipment, and supplies to health facilities and conflict-affected communities, conducting a comprehensive inventory of medical supplies to identify priorities, adopting smart health applications to disseminate clinical protocols and training guidelines, establishing safe supply corridors, and strengthening oversight to ensure the rational use of subsidized medicines, particularly those for malaria and kala-azar.
Regarding health information systems, the meeting recommended strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems through dedicated budgets, addressing challenges facing the DHIS2 platform, improving data quality, integrating the “Hermes” emergency system with DHIS2, promoting data-driven decision-making, and expanding disease surveillance centers in war-affected states.
On health financing, participants called for investing in recovery projects following the war, developing innovative mechanisms to maximize available resources, building strategic partnerships with universities, the private sector, and international organizations, encouraging innovation to attract additional funding for digital transformation, and implementing the Grants and Donations Management Guide while ensuring data entry into the National Health Information System.
Addressing the closing session, Dr. Ali Babiker, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, stated that Primary Health Care carries extensive responsibilities and significant financial burdens. He praised the staff for working as one team and reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to achieving better health and well-being for Sudan. He added: “With you and through your efforts, we can achieve this goal.”
The closing ceremony also honored State Ministries of Health, as well as a number of international and United Nations organizations, in recognition of their contributions.
Before the closing session, participants attended an interactive presentation on the organizational structure of the General Directorate of Primary Health Care, with the participation of the Undersecretary of the Ministry, several state Directors-General, and directors of Primary Health Care departments.