After four years of successful collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and other national partners, the Primary Health Care Strengthening (PHCS) project funded by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is ending in October 2011. Today the project held its final conference to mark its closing and speak about its successes in the past four years.

USAID congratulated the project counterparts for their substantial advances in reforming healthcare in Azerbaijan. “We are very encouraged by the progress made and by the commitment we have seen from the Government of Azerbaijan to increase public support for health reforms and to improve the quality and accessibility of health and social services.” said Michael Greene, USAID/Azerbaijan Mission Director.

Implemented by Abt Associates, PHCS worked to strengthen Azerbaijan’s primary health care system. The project has provided technical assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan to strengthen health policies, initiate improvements in health information systems and health care financing, establish a foundation for improvements in quality of care, and improve services for tuberculosis prevention and treatment, PHC, maternal, neonatal and child health care. The nation-wide project was implemented in the cities of Baku and Ganja as well as Absheron, Agdash, Ismayilli, Gakh, and Sheki regions.

At the final conference, PHCS staff shared achievements and lessons learned since project implementation began in September 2007. Representatives from the MOH, Parliament, the Center for Public Health and Reform, the Research Institute for Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Research Institute for Lung Diseases, and the World Bank and MOH’s Health System Reform Project also spoke about their collaboration with the project.

USAID looks forward to continuing to support the strengthening of Azerbaijan’s healthcare system, and will launch a new health project – the Azerbaijan Strengthening Health Systems through Integrated Programs – in October 2011.