Primary Health Care Transformation Committee (PHCTC) is a learning collaborative based in the KwaZulu-Natal province, established to facilitate health systems reforms to advance the implementation of PHC re-engineering and re-invigorate COPC in KwaZulu-Natal. The overarching objective of the Primary Health Care Transformation Committee (PHCTC) is to strengthen the health system in KwaZulu-Natal and to create a culture of shared learning and decision-making in which sound scientific evidence is continuously integrated into the health system.

The vision was to create an evidence-based learning platform to identify change ideas/innovations and best practices to support the implementation of the new policy while also learning lessons that should be infused into the curriculum for the pre-service and in-service health workforce to prepare them for the new service delivery platforms and approach.

This collaborative was established in 2018 through the Chief Director of District Health Services (DHS), who approached the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN)-Centre for Rural Health(CRH) to form a partnership to support the process of promoting evidence-based practices in the implementation of PHC re-engineering, foregrounding the COPC approach. This collaboration was expanded after the COVID-19 pandemic to include non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the Office of the Premier (responsible for creating and engaging with civil society sectors), and other industries involved in improving population well-being.

The PHCTC members co-developed a Theory of Change to align strategies and vision. The process of developing TOC involved input from all stakeholders who are members of the PHCTC. The goal of the TOC was to describe and explain the problem of interest, including all contextual factors and specific aspects of the KZN health services platform. At the same time, to identify evidence‐based solutions. The TOC process also provided a platform to discuss possible barriers to and opportunities for implementation. The TOC guides the PHCTC project process.