THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE AND PRIMARY HEALTH CARE STRENGTHENING

Abstract

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the article provides a literature review on the development of the concept of universal health coverage (UHC), starting with the Alma-Ata Declaration on PHC of 1978, including the Astana Declaration of 2018 and the UN Political Declaration on UHC of 2019. The development of primary health care in the CIS countries followed different scenarios, often deviating from the principles of the Alma-Ata Declaration. In Kyrgyzstan, when reforming health care, the basic principles of PHC and family medicine were also implemented with distortions, which played a negative role in the context of the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the strength of health systems around the world, highlighting the urgent need to achieve universal health coverage, which is only possible with strong primary health care.