What is primary health care (PHC)?
Primary Health Care (PHC) is usually associated with the declaration of the 1978 International Conference in Alma Ata, Kazakhstan (known as the “Alma Ata Declaration”). Alma-Ata put health equity on the international political agenda for the first time, and PHC became a core concept of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of Health for all.
Who is the author of the origin of primary health care?
Chapter 1On the Origin of Primary Health Care Dr Socrates Litsios. Author Information Authors Dr Socrates Litsios. Affiliations Retired WHO Senior Scientist Primary Health Care (PHC) is usually associated with the declaration of the 1978 International Conference in Alma Ata, Kazakhstan (known as the “Alma Ata Declaration”).
What is PHC and how does it work?
In PHC, the goal is to work through multidisciplinary teams with strong referral systems to secondary and tertiary care when needed. But PHC also goes beyond providing health care services to individuals.
Why invest in Public Health Care (PHC)?
Evidence of wide-ranging impact of investment in PHC continues to grow around the world, particularly in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the world, investments in PHC improve equity and access, health care performance, accountability of health systems, and health outcomes.
Who is the father of PHC in Nigeria?
Professor Ransome-Kuti adopted PHC in 52 local government areas as models based on Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 (3). Furthermore, Nigeria's first comprehensive national health policy based on PHC was launched in 1988 (3).
When was PHC founded?
Abstract. I present a historical study of the role played by the World Health Organization and UNICEF in the emergence and diffusion of the concept of primary health care during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Who gave the concept of PHC?
The principles of PHC were first outlined in the Declaration of Alma-Ata in 1978, a seminal milestone in global health. Forty years later, global leaders ratified the Declaration of Astana at the Global Conference on Primary Health Care which took place in Astana, Kazakhstan in October 2018.
Who started PHC in India?
Primary Health Care (PHC) has always been considered a foundation of stronger and efficient health systems. The efforts to strengthen health services, based upon stronger PHC in India started when the 'Health Survey and Development Committee' was established in 1943 under the chairpersonship of Sir Joseph Bhore [5].
What are the pillars of PHC?
The four pillars (pipeline, process of medical education, practice transformation, and payment reform) provide consistent language to improve communication and advocacy about the need for increased numbers of well-trained primary care physicians.
What is the principle of PHC?
The principles of primary health care are accessibility, public participation, health promotion, appropriate technology and intersectoral cooperation. Accessibility means that the five types of health care are universally available to all clients regardless of geographical location.
Who is Alma-Ata Declaration?
The Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978 emerged as a major milestone of the twentieth century in the field of public health, and it identified primary health care as the key to the attainment of the goal of Health for All.
What is PHC percentage?
Primary health care typically covers about 80 percent of a person's health needs during their lifetime.
How many types of PHC are there?
PHCs have been categorized into two categories depending upon the case load of deliveries.
How many PHC are there in India?
India has a vast public health infrastructure with 23,391 primary health centers (PHCs) and 145,894 subcenters providing health services to 72.2% of the country's population living in rural areas.
When was PHC established in Nepal?
1978PHC service in Nepal has been active since 1978 through a network of district and the distal network that reaches to the community served by health posts and sub-health posts. At the community level, nearly 50,000 Female Community Health Volunteers are mobilized throughout the country.
How primary health care started in Ghana?
The government adopted the Ghana Primary Health Care Strategy, instituted the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) approach to improve access to promotive and preventive health care at the community level, and established the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2003 to improve financial access to ...
How many PHC are there in India?
India has a vast public health infrastructure with 23,391 primary health centers (PHCs) and 145,894 subcenters providing health services to 72.2% of the country's population living in rural areas.
What is the WHO's goal for PHC?
The World Health Organization, or WHO, elaborates on the goals of PHC as defined by three major categories, "empowering people and communities, multisectoral policy and action; and primary care and essential public health functions as the core of integrated health services [1] .". Based on these definitions, PHC can not only help an individual ...
How is PHC implemented in Africa?
In Africa, the PHC system has been extended into isolated rural areas through construction of health posts and centers that offer basic maternal-child health, immunization, nutrition, first aid, and referral services . Implementation of PHC is said to be affected after the introduction of structural adjustment programs by the World Bank.
Why were the Barefoot Doctors important to the PHC?
The "Barefoot Doctors" of China were an important inspiration for PHC because they illustrated the effectiveness of having a healthcare professional at the community level with community ties. Barefoot Doctors were a diverse array of village health workers who lived in rural areas and received basic healthcare training. They stressed rural rather than urban healthcare, and preventive rather than curative services. They also provided a combination of western and traditional medicines. The Barefoot Doctors had close community ties, were relatively low-cost, and perhaps most importantly they encouraged self-reliance through advocating prevention and hygiene practices. The program experienced a massive expansion of rural medical services in China, with the number of Barefoot Doctors increasing dramatically between the early 1960s and the Cultural Revolution (1964-1976).
What is primary health care?
Primary health care, or PHC, refers to "essential health care " that is based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology. This makes universal health care accessible to all individuals and families in a community. PHC initiatives allow for the full participation of community members in implementation and decision making.
When was the idea of selective primary health care introduced?
Selective Primary Health Care. After the year 1978 Alma Ata Conference, the Rockefeller Foundation held a conference in 1979 at its Bellagio conference center in Italy to address several concerns. Here, the idea of Selective Primary Health Care was introduced as a strategy to complement comprehensive PHC.
Is PHC a short-lived intervention?
In sum, PHC recognizes that healthcare is not a short-lived intervention, but an ongoing process of improving people's lives and alleviating the underlying socioeconomic conditions that contribute to poor health.
Who is committed to PHC?
In 2018, world leaders committed to advancing PHC. However, moving from political commitment to reality will require efforts on the part of all stakeholders – governments, health care providers, civil society, and the public.
What is PHC in health care?
PHC involves prevention, health promotion, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliation. Another misperception is that PHC is “cheap” health care for the poor. Because PHC is based in the community, it is frequently the only health care available to poor or marginalized communities, who may not have access to a hospital.
What is the misperception of PHC?
Some common misperceptions include the notion that PHC only provides “basic” care, when , in fact, PHC provides essential care that can cover the majority of a person’s health needs throughout their lives. Another misperception is that PHC is about maternal and child health – PHC is about health at all ages.
Why is PHC important?
Because PHC focuses on the person rather than the disease, it is an approach that moves away from overspecialization. In PHC, the goal is to work through multidisciplinary teams with strong referral systems to secondary and tertiary care when needed. But PHC also goes beyond providing health care services to individuals.
Why is PHC neglected?
This is often due to a combination of lack of political will, under investment, and common misperceptions of the role and benefits of PH C.
What are the benefits of PHC?
It has been proven that health systems with a PHC-based foundation result in improved clinical outcomes, increased efficiency, better quality of care and enhanced patient satisfaction. All stakeholders – from government leaders to physicians to members of the public – need to be made aware of the role and benefits of PHC.
Who is the Father of Physics? Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642)
Galileo Galilei was an Italian mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He earned the nickname ' Father of Physics ' because of his pioneering role in finding the motion of bodies and developing the telescope. Incidentally, using the telescope, he confirmed the phases of Venus and also discovered Jupiter's four largest moons.
Who is the Father of Modern Physics? Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727)
Sir Isaac Newton was associated with Cambridge University as a physicist and mathematician. He was also a fellow Royal Society of England. Newton became famous with his three laws of motion which established the connection between motion and objects.
Who is the Father of Modern Physics? Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
Albert Einstein transformed the landscape of physics with his Theory of Relativity and played an instrumental role in designing the theory of Quantum Mechanics. Albert Einstein's mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc2 has etched his name in history books as the greatest physicist of all times.
What is the purpose of PHC?
PHC is the most inclusive, equitable, cost-effective and efficient approach to enhance people’s physical and mental health, as well as social well-being.
What is PHC in health care?
PHC addresses the broader determinants of health and focuses on the comprehensive and interrelated aspects of physical, mental and social health and wellbeing. It provides whole-person care for health needs throughout the lifespan, not just for a set of specific diseases. Primary health care ensures people receive quality comprehensive care - ranging from promotion and prevention to treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care - as close as feasible to people’s everyday environment.
How to strengthen PHC?
WHO has identified three strategic areas of work to strengthen PHC worldwide: 1 Providing a 'one-stop' mechanism for PHC implementation support to Member States, tailored to country context and priorities. This includes putting into action the Operational Framework for PHC and capitalizing on investment opportunities from the COVID-19 response, building back better PHC-based health systems during recovery efforts. This core function is driven by and builds on existing work and experiences from countries and regions from across the world. 2 Producing PHC-oriented evidence and innovation, with a sharper focus on people left behind. This work is based on existing implementation evidence, best practice guidance and implementation solutions, expertise from successful countries, and literature published to drive innovative solutions. Key deliverables include monitoring and measurement guidance to assess PHC progress in countries and, subsequently, a Global report on PHC progress, as well as an innovative capacity building effort as part of the WHO Academy. 3 Promoting PHC renewal through policy leadership, advocacy and strategic partnerships with governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, development partners, UN sister agencies, donors, and other stakeholders at global, regional and country levels. Among other initiatives, this workstream will establish an external Strategic Advisory Group on PHC to advise the WHO on PHC renewal worldwide, it will create a PHC award for recognizing PHC excellence globally, and it will promote new PHC partnerships and collaborative networks incorporating new stakeholders such as young health leaders, parliamentarians and civil society at large.
How to promote PHC renewal?
Promoting PHC renewal through policy leadership, advocacy and strategic partnerships with governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, development partners, UN sister agencies, donors, and other stakeholders at global, regional and country levels . Among other initiatives, this workstream will establish an external Strategic Advisory Group on PHC to advise the WHO on PHC renewal worldwide, it will create a PHC award for recognizing PHC excellence globally, and it will promote new PHC partnerships and collaborative networks incorporating new stakeholders such as young health leaders, parliamentarians and civil society at large.
Why is PHC important?
PHC is also critical to make health systems more resilient to situations of crisis, more proactive in detecting early signs of epidemics and more prepared to act early in response to surges in demand for services.
What are the components of PHC?
PHC entails three inter-related and synergistic components, including: comprehensive integrated health services that embrace primary care as well as public health goods and functions as central pieces; multi-sectoral policies and actions to address the upstream and wider determinants of health; and engaging and empowering individuals, families, and communities for increased social participation and enhanced self-care and self-reliance in health.
What is a one stop mechanism for PHC?
Providing a 'one-stop' mechanism for PHC implementation support to Member States, tailored to country context and priorities. This includes putting into action the Operational Framework for PHC and capitalizing on investment opportunities from the COVID-19 response, building back better PHC-based health systems during recovery efforts. This core function is driven by and builds on existing work and experiences from countries and regions from across the world.
Historical Perspectives on Primary Health Care
This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions.
SEE MORE
In this module, we'll go over some basics about the course and introduce you to the concept of primary health care as well as the history of its development. There is a short review quiz at the end of the module.
Overview
Primary health care, or PHC, refers to "essential health care" that is based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology. This makes universal health care accessible to all individuals and families in a community. PHC initiatives allow for the full participation of community members in implementation and decision making. Services are provided at a cost that the community and the country can afford at every stage of their development in the spirit of sel…
Goals and principles
The ultimate goal of primary healthcare is the attainment of better health services for all. It is for this reason that the World Health Organization (WHO), has identified five key elements to achieving this goal:
• reducing exclusion and social disparities in health (universal coverage reforms);
• organizing health services around people's needs and expectations (service de…
Approaches
The primary health care approach has seen significant gains in health where applied even when adverse economic and political conditions prevail.
Although the declaration made at the Alma-Ata conference deemed to be convincing and plausible in specifying goals to PHC and achieving more effective strategies, it generated numerous criticisms and reactions worldwide…
Background and controversies
The "Barefoot Doctors" of China were an important inspiration for PHC because they illustrated the effectiveness of having a healthcare professional at the community level with community ties. Barefoot Doctors were a diverse array of village health workers who lived in rural areas and received basic healthcare training. They stressed rural rather than urban healthcare, and preventive rather than curative services. They also provided a combination of western and traditi…
See also
• Emergency healthcare
• Global health
• Health policy
• Health promotion
• Healthy city / Alliance for Healthy Cities
Further reading
• WHO (1978). "Alma Ata 1978: Primary Health Care". HFA Sr. (1).
• WHO (2008). The World Health Report 2008: Primary Health Care, Now More Than Ever. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008.
• McGilvray, James C. (1981). The Quest for Health and Wholeness. Tübingen: German Institute for Medical Missions. ISBN 0-7289-0014-9.