Principles of primary healthcare

  • Equitable distribution
    • Healthcare should be available to all people irrespective of financial and social status
    • The rich and the poor should have equal access to health facilities
  • Community participation
    • The community should be involved in the planning, implementation and maintenance of health programs
    • Locally available resources – materials and man power – should be used
    • eg: Village health guides in India
      • They are selected from the local population and provide primary healthcare
      • This helps to overcome the social and cultural barriers
  • Intersectoral coordination
    • Different sectors like agriculture, education and public works should work together to bring about improvements in healthcare
    • eg: In case of on outbreak of malaria,
      • The agricultural department can help as the breeding site of Anopheles mosquito is large bodies of water like paddy fields
      • The public works department can help to bring about environmental modification
      • Industries can provide insecticides
      • Education department can introduce programs to increase awareness
    • Another example of intersectoral coordination is in case of minimum needs program
  • Appropriate technology
    • The technology applied should be
      • scientifically sound
      • adaptable to local needs
      • acceptable to the people who implement it and those who use it
      • can be maintained using the locally available resources

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