Improvement of public health by promotion of equitably distributed high quality primary health care systems

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ImPrim – a Primary Health Care flagship project. There are substantial health differences between the countries in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). These inequalities have a relationship to social problems. The ImPrim project aims at promoting equitably distributed high quality Primary Health Care services in the BSR in order to increase the cost-efficiency of the public health system and more efficiently counteract communicable diseases and health problems related to social factors. Primary Health Care is the level of care nearest to the community. It coordinates care with other community stakeholders and health services and helps to control the costs of the public health systems. Hence, Primary Health Care is an efficient tool for health promotion and disease prevention, and contributes to increasing the attractiveness of regions.The equitable availability of high quality Primary Health Care personnel and resources is a big challenge for all countries around the Baltic Sea and Belarus. ImPrimt tackles three core areas: Access to Primary Health Care; Financial resources for Primary Health Care; Professional development of Primary Health Care staff. The project has been managed by the Centre for Competence at the Blekinge County Council. Ministries of health, national and regional authorities, universities and professional associations from Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus, and ministries of health from all countries are associated members. In addition to the project countries, the work has been linked with other EU-projects, with British and Danish institutions, among others. The project, which has been awarded flag ship status, was finalised in December 2012. To widen the ImPrim concept a parallel project on eHealth, funded by Swedish Sida BSR Unit, was implemented during 2011 and 2012 with three international thematic conferences. Postgraduate training in PHC programs for physicians and nurses working outside the health care sector wishing to return to their profession has been offered. The economic impact of returning physicians is huge and of transnational significance. Health Synergy - a model on How to join Primary Health Care and Public Health activities. A model for holistic preventive health care through collaboration and integration of public health and PHC professionals. The advantages and challenges are illustrated in several studies carried out within the framework of the project. The project has achieved important aims in meeting community health care, preventive care and effective clinical management of health problems.The ImPrim project is from many aspects unique in the wide perspective of primary care and public health working on the two levels – basic health care and the overall planning and steering national level. Numerous results with strong impact can be shown from the ImPrim project.

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