In 1978 the world health organisation and UNICEF met in Alma Ata in Kazakhstan for the international conference on primary health care. Health is considered a human right and as such the achievement of the best possible health of all individuals is a worldwide goal. It was seen that primary health care was the key to achieving a level of health that will permit them to lead a socially and economically productive life.
What is primary health care?
“essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community 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-determination" This is the definition given by the alma ata.
Primary health care is important in improving the health of a country. A number of strategies are in place throughout the world to try and improve the health of people in the developing world.
Bare foot doctors
Introduced under chairman Mao in 1960s China. Its aim was to improve health care provision in the countryside by training local people.
Vaccination programmes
The vaccination of children against childhood diseases carries obvious medical and economic benefits as well as numerous indirect and often far-reaching added societal benefits. In developing countries, vaccination forms the basis of village-operated primary health care (PHC) activities leading to a sustained PHC program. Vaccination programs provide an opportunity for the provision of other primary care services. It also leads to a direct and measurable reduction of child mortality rates and becomes an opportunity for a higher standard of living as it encourages small families and, in this way, contributes in the family planning programs' success. The vaccination of children has a great impact on the lives of women in developing countries. Protecting the lives of children through vaccination and through other PHC activities is a major strategy towards improving the lives of women. The opportunity and provision of vaccination empowers women to protect their own health and that of their children through their own actions, giving an added psychological feeling of control and empowerment in their lives. Therefore, while vaccination services can be delivered alone, they are best delivered along with other services that are needed by children in their first year of life and by pregnant women. These services may include, among others, child growth monitoring, use of oral rehydration to treat diarrhoea, promotion of breast-feeding, malaria treatment and maternal and child health services.
Health education
Health education is important in raising awareness of a community about disease and equipping them with the knowledge to reduce the problems caused by disease.
In March 2002 the state innovations in family planning services project agency (sips) ran a two-year project in the Baniakhera area of India. The project focused on ante-natal care, infant and child immunization, the provision of contraceptives and family planning advice. All but one member of the staff were women.
The main workers were the community based workers who were village based women who’s job was to mobilize the community, promote family planning and maternal and child health services and increase the use of modern spacing methods among young couples. The job was part-time and gave 33 local women of limited education the opportunity to earn some money of their own in an environment familiar to them. It also raised the profile of women’s health care and family planning in an area where there has been very little provision for these
The programme was successful in achieving government targets to reduce birth rates and increase immunization.
Improved water and sanitation
Improved sanitation and water supplies ensures that the health of a community will increase. People are less likely to be ill and as such more productive in their work.
The impact upon women is seen more clearly as they are usually the people who travel long distances to collect water. Improved water access frees up their time as well as improving their health. This extra time can be spent in the community playing a more active role and also becoming empowered.
Promotion of family planning
Family planning is vital to improving the development of a country and also the lives of individuals. It is easier for a family to provide for a smaller number of children. If infant mortality is reduced families are more likely to accept a reduction in the number of children they have. This is important in many developing countries such as Zambia.
Investing in family planning and other reproductive health services is vital in reducing the economic and environmental impact of population growth, and in improving maternal and child health-especially with Zambia's high HIV prevalence. Family planning and reproductive health services are not uniformly available around the country and are not always well linked to HIV/AIDS interventions. Only 25 percent of married women currently use a modern method of family planning, with total fertility at 5.9. USAID helps achieve Zambian family planning and reproductive health goals by providing technical assistance and training to expand access to family planning services in the public sector, and through social marketing and support of communication for behaviour change.