The document summarizes the key outcomes of the 1978 Alma-Ata Conference where 134 countries agreed on the goal of "Health for All" by 2000 through primary healthcare (PHC). The conference found that over half the world's population lacked adequate healthcare, with a large inequality between developed and developing countries. It established PHC as an approach focusing on disease prevention, health promotion, and community participation through intersectoral collaboration. The conference adopted 8 declarations, including defining PHC and its essential elements like immunization, maternal/child care, nutrition, water/sanitation, and community involvement.

1. ALMAATA DECLARATION &
ELEMENTS OF PHC
AYO NELSON
CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR
LIRA INSTTITUTE OF HEALTH AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES
EMAIL: ayonelson617@gmailo.com

2. OBJECTIVES:
• By the end of this session students should be able to;
Explain overview of the Alma Ata Conference
Outline the objectives of Alma Ata declaration
Describe the situation of the health status by then
Discuss the declarations made during the conference
Explain the essential elements of PHC adopted during the conference

3. Overview of the Alma Ata conference:
• Before 1978, globally, existing health services were failing to provide
quality health care to the people.
• Different alternatives and ideas failed to establish a well-functioning
health care system.
• Considering these issues, a joint WHO-UNICEF international
conference was held in 1978 in Alma Ata (USSR), commonly known
as Alma-Ata conference.

4. Overview………………….
• The conference included participation from government from 134 countries
and other different representatives of 67 United Nations organizations,
specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations in official
relations with WHO and UNICEF.
• The conference declared ‘The existing gross inequality in the health status
of people particularly between developed and developing countries as well
as within countries is politically, socially and economically unacceptable’.

5. Overview………………….
• Thus, the Alma-Ata conference called for acceptance of WHO goal
of ‘Health for All’ by 2000.
• Furthermore, it proclaimed Primary Health Care (PHC) as a way to
achieve ‘Health for All’.
• In this way, the concept of Primary Health Care (PHC) came into
existence globally in 1978 from the Alma-Ata Conference ‘based on
the principles of equity and community participation in health
planning through an intersectoral approach’.

6. Overview………………….
• PHC is a tool for disease protection, prevention, and prophylaxis/
vaccination into the health system and also where people and the
community meet the health system
• The declaration is a brief document that recognizes PHC as a means
to achieving the objectives of health of people for all the nations.
• It is the historic declaration in the global health care stating the
importance of PHC and outlining the world government roles and
responsibilities to the health of its citizens.

7. Overview………………….
• It effectively identified varying factors that contribute to the health of
the people and adversely impact on the physical, mental and social
well-being of people around the world and resolves all country should
take continuous corrective measures to protect and promote the health
of the citizens.

8. OBJECTIVES OF THE ALMAATA
CONFERENCE:
• To promote the concept of primary health care in all countries
• To exchange experience and information on the development of primary health
care within the framework of comprehensive national health systems and services
• To evaluate the present health and health care situation throughout the world as it
relates to, and can be improved by, primary health care.
• To define the principles of primary health care as well as the operational means of
overcoming practical problems in the development of primary health care.
• To define the role of governments, national, and international organizations in
technical cooperation and support for the development of primary health care
• To formulate recommendations for the development of primary health care

9. The world re-view of the health status by
then;
• The Conference declared that the health status of hundreds of millions
of people in the world today is unacceptable, particularly in
developing countries.
• More than half the population of the world does not have the benefit of
proper health care.

10. • In view of the magnitude of health problems and the inadequate and
inequitable distribution of health resources between and within countries,
and believing that health is a fundamental human right and worldwide
social goal.
• The Conference called for a new approach to health and health care, to close
the gap between the “haves” and “have-nots”, achieve more equitable
distribution of health resources, and attain a level of health for all the
citizens of the world that will permit them to lead a socially and
economically productive life.

11. • The Conference reaffirmed that governments have a responsibility for
the health of their people which can be fulfilled only by adequate and
equitably distributed health and social measures.
• Each country must interpret and adapt particular, detailed aspects of
primary health care within the country’s own social, political, and
developmental context.
• All persons have the right and duty to participate individually and
collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care.

12. Summary of the challenges identified were:
• High cost of establishing health institutions
• Curative health services predominated other health services
• Inadequate health budget
• Prevailing of attitude was for hospitals
• Unclear health policy
• No community participation and intersectoral collaboration

13. Declaration of the Conference
1. The Conference strongly reaffirms that health, which is a state of
complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity, is a fundamental human right and
that the attainment of the highest possible level of health is a most
important world-wide social goal whose realization requires the
action of many other social and economic sectors in addition to the
health sector

14. Declarations of the conference
2. The existing gross inequality in the health status of the people
particularly between developed and developing countries as well as
within countries is politically, socially and economically unacceptable
and is, therefore, of common concern to all countries.

15. 3. Economic and social development, based on a New International
Economic Order, is of basic importance to the fullest attainment of
health for all and to the reduction of the gap between the health status of
the developing and developed countries.
The promotion and protection of the health of the people is essential to
sustained economic and social development and contributes to a better
quality of life and to world peace.
4.The people have the right and duty to participate individually and
collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care.

16. 5. Governments have a responsibility for the health of their people which can be
fulfilled only by the provision of adequate health and social measures.
• A main social target of governments, international organizations and the whole
world community in the coming decades should be the attainment by all
peoples of the world by the year 2000 of a level of health that will permit them
to lead a socially and economically productive life.
• Primary health care is the key to attaining this target as part of development in
the spirit of social justice.

17. 6. Primary health care is essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound
and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to
individual and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost
that the community and country can afford to maintain at every stage of their
development in the spirit of self-reliance and self-determination.
It forms an integral part both of the country’s health system, of which it is the central
function and main focus, and of the overall social and economic developments of the
community.
It is the first level of contact of individuals, family and community with the national
health system bringing health care as close as possible to where people live and work,
and constitutes the first element of a continuing health care process.

18. 7. Primary health care:
• Reflects and evolves from the economic conditions and sociocultural and political
characteristics of the country and its communities and is based on the application
of the relevant results of social, biomedical and health services research and public
health experience;
• Addresses the main health problems in the community, providing promotive,
preventive, curative and rehabilitative services accordingly.

19. • Includes at least: education concerning prevailing health problems and the
methods of preventing and controlling them.
Promotion of food supply and proper nutrition
An adequate supply of safe water and basic sanitation
Maternal and child health care, including family planning.
Immunization against the major infectious diseases
Prevention and control of locally endemic diseases
Appropriate treatment of common diseases and injuries
Provision of essential drugs.

20. • Involves, in addition to the health sector, all related sectors and aspects of
national and community development, in particular agriculture, animal
husbandry, food, industry, education, housing, public works,
communications and other sectors; and demands the coordinated efforts
of all those sectors.
• Requires and promotes maximum community and individual self-reliance
and participation in the planning, organization, operation and control of
primary health care, making fullest use of local, national and other
available resources; and to this end develops through appropriate
education the ability of communities to participate.

21. • Should be sustained by integrated, functional and mutually supportive
referral systems, leading to the progressive improvement of
comprehensive health care for all, and giving priority to those most in
need.
• Relies, at local and referral levels, on health workers, including
physicians, nurses, midwives, auxiliaries and community workers as
applicable, as well as traditional practitioners as needed, suitably
trained socially and technically to work as a health team and to
respond to the expressed health needs of the community

22. Contd.
8. All governments should formulate national policies, strategies and plans
of action to launch and sustain primary health care as part of a
comprehensive national health system and in coordination with other
sectors. To this end, it will be necessary to exercise political will, to mobilize
the country’s resources and to use available external resources rationally.
9. All countries should cooperate in a spirit of partnership and service to
ensure primary health care for all people since the attainment of health by
people in any one country directly concerns and benefits every other
country. In this context the joint WHO/UNICEF report on primary health
care constitutes a solid basis for the further development and operation of
primary health care throughout the world.

23. Contd.
10. An acceptable level of health for all the people of the world by the
year 2000 can be attained through a fuller and better use of the world’s
resources, a considerable part of which is now spent on armaments and
military conflicts. A genuine policy of independence, peace, detente
and disarmament could and should release additional resources that
could well be devoted to peaceful aims and in particular to the
acceleration of social and economic development of which primary
health care, as an essential part, should be allotted its proper share.

24. ELEMENTS OF PRIMRY HEALTH
CARE
1. Immunization
• An increasing number of infectious diseases can be prevented by
vaccinations example-measles, Meningitis, Pertussis, tuberculosis,
yellow fever etc.
• By administering global immunizations, WHO works to wipe out
major infectious diseases, greatly improving overall health globally.

25. 2. Maternal and child care
• Pregnant women and women of child bearing age (15-49 years) are the
target group for special care and children under 5yrs of age are also
vulnerable to childhood killer disease.
• Ensuring comprehensive and adequate health care to children and to
mothers, both expecting and otherwise, is another essential element of
primary health care.
• By caring for those who are at the greatest risk of health problems,
WHO helps future generations have a chance to thrive and contribute
globally

26. 3. Essential drugs
• The most vital drugs should be available and affordable at all levels.
• By providing essential drugs to those who need them, such as
antibiotics to those with infections, caregivers can help prevent disease
from escalating.
• This makes the community safer, as there is less chance for diseases to
be passed along.

27. 4. Food and Nutrition
• The family’s food should be adequate, affordable and balanced in
nutrients.
• Nutrition is another essential component of health care.
• WHO works to prevent malnutrition and starvation and to prevent
many diseases and afflictions

28. 5. Health Education
• The community should be informed of health problem and methods of
prevention and control.
• Public education is the first, and one of the most essential, component of
primary health care.
• By educating the public on the prevention and control of health problems,
and encouraging participation, the World Health Organization works to stop
disease from spreading on at a personal level

29. 6. Appropriate treatment of common
diseases and injuries
• Adequate provision of curative services for common ailments and
injuries should be made by the community.
• Another important component of primary health care is access to
appropriate medical care for the treatment of diseases and injuries.
• By treating disease and injury right away, caregivers can help avoid
complications and the expense of later, more extensive, medical
treatment.

30. 7. Water and sanitation
• A safe water supply and the clean disposal of wastes are vital for
health.
• A supply of clean, safe drinking water, and basic sanitation measures
regarding trash, sewage and water cleanliness can significantly
improve the health of a population, reducing and even eliminating
many preventable diseases.

31. 8. Prevention and control of locally endemic
diseases
• Endemic infection diseases can be regulated through the control or
eradication of vectors and animal reservoir.
• Prevention and control of local diseases is critical to promoting
primary health care in a population.
• Taking these diseases into account and initiating measures to prevent
them are key factors in efforts to reduce infection rates.

32. Extended Elements in the 21st Century
• Expanded options of immunizations.
• Reproductive health needs.
• Provision of essential technologies for health.
• Health promotion.
• Prevention and control of non-communicable diseases.
• Food safety and the provision of selected food supplements