How do the principles of primary health care ensure its definition is achieved?

INTRODUCTION

The Alma Alta declaration was adopted by the international conference in the 1978, which focus on primary health care aspects or merely the building blocks of primary health care. This includes the universal coverage of the population, promotive, preventative, curative and rehabilitative services, yet it also allowed communities to be involved which enables them to develop the platform for self-reliance and reduce dependency. Primary health care aims to provide people with care that is accessible, affordable and of the highest quality. Its principles therefore provide a frame of reference which enables absolute and unambiguous implementation of this approach and warrants that its ideals and objectives are fulfilled entirely and are consistent with its definition.

 

Principles of Primary Health Care:

1. Equitable distribution

  

Equal and fair distribution of health care crucial in ensuring that health care is easily accessible to all members of the population regardless of where they stay or their socio-economic status. It is essential in the sense that it is the most basic care, making it possible for people from different backgrounds or socio-economic status to have equal access to the health care system if and when needed. It emphasizes the right to health care and that all in individuals should never be in a position where they cannot receive health care under any circumstances that could have not been so if they had e.g. more money or lived in a more urbanized area where access would not have been limited.

 

2. Focus on prevention

In delivering each type of care, under the PHC approach, Shifting the focus more on the promotion of health and prevention of ill-health is not only a method that is cost effective for the country (resources) but for the people as well. Treating illness is not only time consuming but also cost consuming especially treating illness that could have been otherwise prevented with the necessary information on how to do so. Focusing on educating the people about what they can do to stay healthy empowers them and makes them more in control and cautious about their health. Promotion is getting individuals to positively influence their own and others health by changing their social economic and political factors that negatively influence it. Disease prevention is acting on people’s health and environment to stop the disease from happening, getting worse and treat it early. Eg. In people who have diabetes, prevention is used to stop them from getting heart disease, glaucoma, foot and skin problems. Common health problems can be cured if HCW have the necessary education, training and experience to diagnose and safely treat patients. Rehabilitation is supporting patients to recover from injuries illnesses and disabilities by health care activities and treatments.

3. Appropriate technology

Services should be effective, culturally acceptable and manageable. Services should be equal, including by securing non-discriminatory access to essential medicines, care and technologies for health. Also equal services for communicable/non-communicable diseases and maternal/child health. If all services of health are effective, the more people will be cured and will be treated correctly with the correct diagnoses. If the services are culturally acceptable, when it comes to health care there is no culture favoritism and there are no cultures or races that would be excluded. This would result in accessibility of quality health care for everyone even people with psychological illness. These should be implemented with the community’s best interests in mind, with clear and noble intentions.

 

4. Community involvement

People have a right and duty to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their healthcare. In other words, Primary health care leaves a community with skills and more knowledge on ways to help improve their health themselves. Example Giving TB awareness and ways to prevent it and allowing community members to participate, leaving the community with more knowledge on the disease so they are able to implement these preventive measures themselves.

 

5. Multisectoral approach

Multisectoral approach is involvement of other sectors (government, private companies and NGOs) to promote health and self-reliance of communities. It is against the notion that health care services should only be the responsibility of the health sector but rather promotes the involvement of other sectors in order to achieve better results. Thus making it easier to educate the community about the prevention and treatment of diseases. The TB broadcast on SABC which gives a basic understanding of what it is and how it’s transmitted and prevented. The involvement of other sectors ensures that majority of the population is informed and have sufficient knowledge about their health. 

 

CONCLUSION

The Alma Alta declaration has made primary health care one of the most important aspects of life in that of, as declared that health as a fundamental human right, called for a change to traditional health system approaches, called for more collaborative participatory approaches for health care. With that been said primary health care is now one of the world’s biggest priority. By applying all these principles and working for the common goal which is responding to the needs of various client groups from individuals through families and communities to populations, the definition of primary health care is achieved.

References 

Dionisio P. The Reasons behind the Flop of Alma-Ata Principles [Internet]. PEAH- Policies for Equitable Access to Health. 2015 June 16 [2018 May 01]. Available from: http://www.peah.it/2015/06/the-reasons-behind-the-flop-of-alma-ata-principles/

The Primary Health Care Approach [Online], 2000. Canadian Nurses Association, Ottawa, Available from: https://www.cna-aiic.ca/~/media/cna/page-content/pdf-en/fs02_primary_health_care_approach_june_2000_e.pdf?la=en [accessed: 25 April 2018].