Primary Health Care: An Impossible Dream - Essay Example

." It is not the purpose of this paper to evaluate how far the target has been achieved and how closely the implementation of plans made almost three decades ago have followed the definition of primary health care. Our aim is rather much more modest as we limit ourselves to answering in as few pages as possible the question as to whether "primary health care is the route to providing appropriate, affordable and effective health care or an idealistic dream." In order to answer such a question, we will review how primary health care has evolved since 1978 in its definition, investigating how the long definition inspired at Alma-ata was translated into practical objectives.

We also look at the general state of primary health care in the United Kingdom and a few other countries. Lastly, we identify the challenges and determine whether the direction of primary health care (PHC) implementation points towards t. A healthy population that can replace itself will ensure that the nation or state, and everything meaningful that it represents like its culture, history, and legacy to the world, will continue to exist. Besides, in principle, every government, democratic or socialist, is in power to lead the people they govern to prosperity and a better quality of life.

Another compelling reason why health care is important is the growing threat of global disease brought about by increased mobility and the breaking down of territorial barriers. Unless the majority of nations sharing the earth agree to improve the delivery of health care services, any measures to improve the people's quality life, of which addressing the threat of global diseases is an important part, will be useless.However, providing health care costs money, and not all nations are economically capable to fund its own programs, so it was that through the WHO's initiative, majority of the world's nations agreed on PHC as a common denominator from which they can proceed and work together, and committed to assist each other and attain common standards.

Since its conception in 1978 as part of a universal health (Health for All) objective, PHC has developed into an organised system of delivering health-related primary care. The system can be broken down into its basic principles and goals inspired by the Alma-ata conference, the issues related to PHC workers, the related processes, implementation and evaluation, and financing (OECD, 2006; WHO, 2005b; APHCRI, 2004; OECD, 2005).Basic principles and goalsThe long Alma-ata declaration has been broken down into five goals that define the characteristics of PHC anywhere in the