Primary Health Care Its Concept, Levels, Principles, Elements And Developmental Goals

Primary health care maybe defined is: essential healthcare based on practical, scientifically sound, and socially acceptable method and technology made universally assessable to individual and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost that the country and community can afford.

Primary health care promotes health and wellness and seeks to prevent injuries and illness. It’s about more than the delivering health care services. It’s about creating conditions that help people to become and stay healthy and well. It’s also about extending the reach of health care providers in to communities.

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family as stated by the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” established in 1948, Article 25.

Also the preamble to the World Health Organization (WHO) constitution affirms that it is one of the fundamental human rights of every human being to enjoy “The Highest Standard of Health”. Increasing importance has been given to social justice and equity, recognition of the crucial role of the community participation, changing ideas about the nature of health and development.

Health for all means that health is to be brought within the reach of everyone in the community which was the international objective of HEALTH FOR ALL in the year 2000. It implies the removal of obstacles to health such as:

Malnutrition
Ignorance
Disease
Contaminated water supply
Unhygienic housing
CONCEPT OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
Primary health care is for all especially the needy. Regardless of the social and economic status, every individual in the nation must have access to good health. The services should be acceptable to the community and there must be active involvement of the community. The health services must be effective, preventive, promote and curative. Also the services should form an integral part of the country’s health system. The country must have policies, and are pursing patterns of development in conformity with the principle of primary health care. The program must be efficient, multi-sectorial, because health does not exist in isolation.

LEVELS OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
The primary health care has three major levels of health care services. These levels are:

Primary care level
Secondary care level
Tertiary care level
PRIMARY CARE LEVEL
It is the first level of contact of individual, family and community with health system and principal point of continuing care for patients. It is the most effective and close to the people. Patients receive care from physician assistants, registered nurses and pediatric nurses.

It includes: public health care, clinics, CHPS compound

SECONDARY CARE LEVEL
It is a higher level at which complex situations are dealt with. Medical care is giving by a specialist of facilities upon referral by a primary care level physician and that requires more special knowledge, skill and equipment.

It includes: DHQ, THQ, Health centers, hospitals
TERTIARY CARE LEVEL
It involves specialized healthcare being provided to an individual. Specific facilities are available. Specialized healthcare workers are present.

It includes: teaching hospitals, regional hospitals, central hospitals, specialized hospitals

PRINCUPLES OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
EQUITY
Equity is the first key principle in primary health care strategy or it the equitable distribution of health services. Health services must be shared equally by all people irrespective of their ability to pay and all, that is, rich or poor, urban or rural must have access to good health care services.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Overall responsibilities of the state. The involvement of individuals, families and communities in promotion of their own health and welfare is an essential ingredient of primary health care. Primary health care cannot be achieved without the involvement of the community in planning, implementation and maintenance of the health services.

INTERSECTORIAL COORDINATION
Declaration of Alma-Ata states that primary health care involves in addition to the health sector all related sectors and aspect of national and community development, in particular education, agriculture, animal husbandry, food, industry, housing, public works and communication.

APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
Technology that is scientifically sound, adaptable to the local needs, and acceptable to those who apply it and those for whom it is used and can be maintained by people themselves with the resources of the community and the country can afford.

ELEMENTS OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
Primary health care has some elements that helps in the development of the primary health care service and system. These elements are:

Education concerning prevailing health problems and the method of identifying, preventing and controlling them

Promotion of food supply and proper nutrition, an adequate supply of water and basic sanitation

Maternal and child healthcare including family planning immunization

Prevention and control of locally endemic diseases
Immunization against major infectious diseases
Treatment of common diseases and injuries
Promotion of mental health
Provision of essential drugs
If all these elements are being put in place, the primary health care services or system will reached every individual in the community, thereby increasing the standard of living of the individuals in the community.

DEVELOPMENTAL GOALS OF THE PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
These goals place health at the heart of development and represent commitments by governments throughout the world to reduce poverty and hunger and to tackle ill health. The goals are:

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Achieve universal primary education
Promote gender equity
Improve maternal health
Reduce child mortality
In conclusion, improved primary health care system in the community and the country will help raise the standard of living among the individuals in the community. Also the government, community, individuals must play their roles to promote the primary health system for the betterment of life.

ADDAI TAWIAH, DENNIS
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDENT
LEVEL 200
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST