Essential services

Resilient health services are the backbone required to reduce the incidence, prevalence, morbidity and mortality of existing and future communicable disease epidemics.

National essential service and intervention packages – including those developed in the context of universal health coverage – need to include the most up-to-date interventions for the 3 disease areas, and be made available at the appropriate levels of the health system.

The WHO Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programmes works with key stakeholders to promote the integration of essential services, where feasible, to ensure patient-centred care and more sustainable services – especially at the decentralized level through integration into primary health care packages and services.

Integration of services is not always easy to implement. This website will provide best practice examples of differentiated service delivery models across other disease and health programmes, as well as integration of services. Integrated diagnostic platforms are one example of positive developments towards efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability gains. Relevant areas for strengthened integration include HIV and hepatitis prevention interventions, the management of coinfections and comorbidities, and sexual and reproductive health interventions.