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10.1 Introduction to Primary Health Care

Primary health care (PHC) is an essential health care made universally accessible to
individuals and acceptable to them. It is an approach to health beyond the traditional
health care system.
Primary health care (PHC) refers to essential health
care that is based on scientifically sound and socially
acceptable methods and technology which make
universal health care accessible to all individuals
and families in a community. Primary health care is
an approach to health beyond the traditional health
care system that focuses on health equality producing
social policy. Primary health care includes all areas
that play a role in health such as access to health Fig: 1
services, environment and lifestyle. This ideal model Health Post
of health care was adopted in the declaration of the
“International conference on Primary Health Care” held in Alma Ata, Kazakhastan in
1978 which is commonly known as “Alma Ata Declaration”. It has become 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 grassroot
organizations that undertook to tackle the politically, socially and economically acceptable
health inequalities in all countries.
The ultimate goal of primary health care is the attainment of better health services for
all. It is for this reason that World Health Organization (WHO) has identified five key
elements to achieving this goal. They are listed as follows:
i. reducing exclusion and social disparities in health (universal coverage reforms)

ii. organizing health services around people’s needs and expectations (service delivery
reforms)
iii. integrating health into all sectors (public policy reforms)

iv. pursuing collaborative models of policy dialogue (leadership reforms); and
v. increasing stakeholder participation.
Behind these elements lies a series of basic principles identified in the Alma Ata Declaration
that should be formulated in national polices in order to launch and sustain primary
health care as a part of a comprehensive health system and in co-ordination with other
sectors.

1. Equitable distribution of health care
According to this principle primary care and other services to meet the main health
problems in a community must be provided equally to all individuals irrespective of their
age, caste, gender, rural/urban location and social caste.

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