Principles and Elements of

PHC

Dr. David Soita

Background
• The end of the 2nd World war was followed by challenges of
inadequacy of health care resources.

• The system then favoured the few elite and rich in the developed
countries

• The disparity became unacceptable and necessary that the worlds

majority needed equity of health care delivery
Alma-Ata Declaration

• The declaration of Alma-Ata held in Kazakhstan 6-12 Sept 1978 sought

to come up with recommendations in this regard
Led to birth of Primary Health Care
Primary Health Care
• “Essential Health Care" that is based on scientifically sound and
socially acceptable methods and technology

• Universal health care accessible to all individuals and families in a

community.

• It is 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
ELEMENTS OF PRIMARY HEALTH
CARE
Essential characteristics of the PHC concept
.
1. Education concerning prevailing health problems and
methods of preventing them

2. Promotion of food supply and Nutrition

.

3. Adequate supply of safe water and sanitation

4. Maternal and Child Health Care

. 5. Prevention and control of diseases

6. Immunization
.

7. Appropriate treatment of diseases

8. Provision of essential drugs

PRINCIPLES OF PRIMARY HEALTH
CARE
1. Equitable distribution
• Health services shared equally including distribution of facilities
• Rich or poor to have access
• Irrespective of ability to pay

• Majority of the population is resident in rural areas with

• Limited access to health care (social injustice)

• PHC aims at reversing this

2. Community participation
• Involvement of individuals and communities in the promotion of their
own health and welfare.
• Special ingredient of PHC.

• There ought to be continued effort for meaningful community

engagement in,
• Planning
• Implementation
• Maintenance of health services
• Reliance on local resources including manpower.
3. Inter-sectoral collaboration
• Health for all cannot be achieved by health sector alone.

• According to the Alma-Ata declaration, PHC involves in addition to

health sector all related sectors and aspects of national and
community development,
• Agriculture
• Education
• Works and Communication

• Requires political will

4. Appropriate technology
• Technology that is
• Scientifically sound,
• Adoptable to local needs
• And acceptable to those who use it

• Can be maintained by the people based on the principle of self

reliance at affordable costs
5. Prevention of Disease

• Emphasis on prevention of diseases at all levels of health care

delivery, but most especially at Primary Level care.

• Achieved mainly through population/community education

Principles cont’d
.
6. Health Human Resource

7. Acceptable referral systems

Principles cont’d
•. 8. Supply of Logistics

9. Presence of infrastructure

10. Control and evaluation

Thank

you

for

listening