Convergences between primary health care planning and the Sustainable Development Goals: an assessment of municipal health plans from Brazil and Chile

Abstract

This study explores the importance of Primary Health Care (PHC) for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), assessing the convergences between two PHC municipal agendas and the global Agenda 2030. For this purpose, the PHC actions included in the municipal health plans of Santiago, Chile, and São Paulo, Brazil, were evaluated by means of content analysis. Results showed that the actions planed by Santiago’s PHC contributed to 14 SDGs, while in São Paulo, the actions identified contributed to the entire Agenda 2030, although both plans lacked references to the SDGs. In conclusion, the actions planned by the PHC municipal agendas are essential to achieve the SDGs. But this relationship is not adequately reported, which can compromise the allocation of greater resources to this sector. Therefore, greater alignment of local, national, and global action plans and policies, integrated and continuous training for communities and health teams, and greater use and diffusion of technologies already available in a regional and intersectoral approach to municipal health plans are required.