Despite having some of the densest living spaces and the highest number of international visitors, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Beijing have utilized their respective primary health care systems to keep their COVID-19 cases and deaths relatively low. Researchers studied the primary health care systems in the three cities to identify features of each system that other cities can use as examples to prepare for and prevent deaths in future health crises. Wong et al write that all three cities have made use of primary care in performing public health surveillance and primary care functions, underscoring their assertion that primary care is an indispensable part of any health system and can play an important role in addressing future infectious disease outbreaks when it is supported, engaged, and integrated with other parts of a health system.
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A Tale Of 3 Asian Cities: How is Primary Care Responding to COVID-19 in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Beijing?
Samuel Y.S. Wong MD, MPH, et al
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, Hong Kong
https://www.annfammed.org/content/19/1/44
The Annals of Family Medicine