The primary healthcare workforce crisis: a comparative assessment of the European region

Abstract Background The healthcare workforce crisis strongly affects the primary healthcare sector, worsening the work conditions of healthcare workers and hampering service delivery and health system resilience. This study introduces a health system and governance approach to identify transformative capacities in health system contexts. Methods A qualitative comparative methodology was employed, and a rapid assessment of the primary healthcare workforce was conducted across nine countries: Denmark, Germany, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom/ England. Results Our findings reveal both convergence and pronounced diversity across the healthcare systems, with none fully aligning with the ideal attributes of primary healthcare suggested by WHO. However, across all categories, Denmark and the Netherlands, and to a lesser extent also Kazakhstan, depict closer alignment to this model than the other countries. Workforce composition and skill-mix vary strongly, while disparities persist in education and data availability, particularly within Social Health Insurance systems. Policy responses and interventions span governance, organisational, and professional realms, although with weaknesses in the implementation of policies and a systematic lack of data and evaluation. The WHO primary healthcare model only marginally informs policy decisions, but it may receive some more attention in Kazakhstan. Conclusions We conclude that aligning primary healthcare and workforce considerations within the broader health system context may help move the debate forward and build governance capacities to improve resilience in both areas. Speakers/Panelists Tiago Correia NOVA IHMT, Lisbon, Portugal Viola Burau Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark Marius-Ionuț Ungureanu Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Anna Sagan WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care, Almaty, Kazakhstan