This are community health notes on the unit primary health care ,,it is efficient and can help boost knowledge for students and other people who need to do further studies
2. PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
• Definition of PHC by Alma Ata international
conference of 1978.
‘’ Primary health care is 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 country can
afford to maintain at every stage of their
development in the spirit of self-reliance and self-
determination’’
3. Elements of PHC
• 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 FP
4. Elements of PHC
• Immunization against major infectious
diseases
• Prevention control of locally endemic diseases
• Appropriate treatment of common diseases
• Provision of essential drugs.
5. Cont;
• Countries have added more elements
depending on their specific situation e.g.
Kenya have added mental health, dental
health and more recently HIV/AIDS
7. Principles of primary health care
• Equity
• Inter-sectoral action
• Community participation
• Decentralization
• Accessibility(physical access, affordability and
acceptability)
• Health promotion and disease prevention
• Effectiveness
• Efficiency
• Integration of health programmes
• Appropriate technology
8. Principles cont;
• Equity
- a fair distribution of health resources for all
population groups.
- this principle is taken into account when
deciding on the location of new health
facilities, locating outreach service points,
introduction of new health programs or any
charges for services
9. Principles cont;
• Intersectorial action
- is essential for many health and health
related activities e.g. water, sanitation,
housing, food supplies and education
• Community participation
- only when a community fully understands
and is committed to a program will that
program stand a chance of success and
sustainability
10. Principles cont;
• Decentralisation
- this is the transfer of authority for planning,
decision making and management from a
higher to a lower level such as the central
government headquarter(ministries) to the
districts.
11. Principles cont;
• Accessibility
- ability to utilize a service either by its
physical availability, cost affordability or
social acceptability
- accessibility to a health facility depends on
locating it near where people live, improving
transport and arranging appropriate opening
hours, assuring acceptability to the community
and a welcoming attitude from the staff and
making it affordable.
12. Principles cont;
• Health promotion and disease prevention
- health promotion is a broad concept that
includes behavior change in relation to many
activities such as nutrition, environment and
recreation
- prevention implies identification of ‘’at-risk’’ and
implementing appropriate preventive measures
13. Principles cont;
• Effectiveness
- the technologies and strategies used in
health care do work, that is, they reduce risk
and prevent or cure disease
• Efficiency
- the methods used to achieve a given result
use the minimum resources- facilities,
manpower, money and time required to the job
14. Principles cont;
• Integration of health programs
- the individual patient, family and community
must understand how to use the health care
system when they need it.
- this means that the system should be
friendly and accessible.
• Appropriate technology
- new developments in vaccines and
immunization techniques, drugs etc should be
included.
