Health Awareness
COURSE CODE: BBM 107
COURSE TITLE: HEALTH AWARENESS
DATE: 10/03/2012
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
Primary health care, often abbreviated as “PHC”, has been defined as "essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost that the community and the country can afford to maintain at every stage of their development in the spirit of self-reliance and self-determination". In other words, PHC is an approach to health beyond the traditional health care system that focuses on health equity-producing social policy.
This ideal model of health care was adopted in the declaration of the International Conference on Primary Health Care held in Alma Ata in 1978, known as the "Alma Ata Declaration", and became a core concept of the World Health Organization 's goal of Health for all. The Alma-Ata Conference mobilized a “Primary Health Care movement” of professionals and institutions, governments and civil society organizations, researchers and grassroots organizations that undertook to tackle the “politically, socially and economically unacceptable” health inequalities in all countries.
Countries are then required to come up with health policies and strategies that adequately serve the populace in an affordable and efficient manner. Various countries therefore have to make adjustments to the primary goals contained in the Alma Ata Declaration to conform to their needs as a country.
In Kenya for example, the primary objectives could include containing epidemical diseases such as malaria and ensuring the drugs for such diseases are available and affordable to the poor. This can be achieved by ensuring access to medical facilities is easy and affordable. The medical facilities such as dispensaries and mobile clinics go a long way in ensuring that.
The ultimate goal of primary health care is better health
COURSE TITLE: HEALTH AWARENESS
DATE: 10/03/2012
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
Primary health care, often abbreviated as “PHC”, has been defined as "essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost that the community and the country can afford to maintain at every stage of their development in the spirit of self-reliance and self-determination". In other words, PHC is an approach to health beyond the traditional health care system that focuses on health equity-producing social policy.
This ideal model of health care was adopted in the declaration of the International Conference on Primary Health Care held in Alma Ata in 1978, known as the "Alma Ata Declaration", and became a core concept of the World Health Organization 's goal of Health for all. The Alma-Ata Conference mobilized a “Primary Health Care movement” of professionals and institutions, governments and civil society organizations, researchers and grassroots organizations that undertook to tackle the “politically, socially and economically unacceptable” health inequalities in all countries.
Countries are then required to come up with health policies and strategies that adequately serve the populace in an affordable and efficient manner. Various countries therefore have to make adjustments to the primary goals contained in the Alma Ata Declaration to conform to their needs as a country.
In Kenya for example, the primary objectives could include containing epidemical diseases such as malaria and ensuring the drugs for such diseases are available and affordable to the poor. This can be achieved by ensuring access to medical facilities is easy and affordable. The medical facilities such as dispensaries and mobile clinics go a long way in ensuring that.
The ultimate goal of primary health care is better health
References: 1. World Health Organization. Declaration of Alma-Ata. Adopted at the International Conference on Primary Health Care, Alma-Ata, USSR, 6-12 September 1978. 2. Starfield, Barbara. "Politics, primary healthcare and health." J Epidemiol Community Health 2011. 3. Public Health Agency of Canada. About Primary Health Care. Accessed 12 July 2011. 4. Secretariat, WHO. "International Conference on Primary Health Care, Alma-Ata: twenty-fifth anniversary". Report by the Secretariat. WHO. 5. WHO. "Health topics". Primary health care. WHO. http://www.who.int/topics/primary_health_care/en/. Retrieved 28 March 2011. 6. Rehydration Project. UNICEF 's GOBI-FFF Programs. 7. World Health Organization. World Health Report 2005, Chapter 5: Choosing Interventions to Reduce Specific Risks. Geneva, WHO Press. 8. World Health Organization. Older people and Primary Health Care (PHC). Department of Health, Provincial Government of the Western Cape. Mental Health Primary Health Care (PHC) Services.