Primary Health Care and Universal Health Coverage
Primary Health Care and Universal Health Coverage
Primary health care addresses the most pressing health problems in communities. It offers preventive, curative, and rehabilitative services. These services reflect the social and economic values of the community and include such services as proper nutrition and sanitation, child health, and family planning. Meridian Primary Care Services offers health education and prevention and control of locally endemic diseases.
The primary healthcare system includes doctors, dentists, podiatrists, physiotherapists, and allied health practitioners who provide care to patients in a community setting. Primary care practitioners provide comprehensive, medically trained care and are responsible for ongoing care of patients. Moreover, they are also responsible for referring patients to specialists as needed.
Primary health care is the most equitable and inclusive approach to universal health coverage. It also plays an important role in strengthening health systems and their resilience to shocks and crises. It can reduce the costs of emergency room visits, and improve patient satisfaction. Meridian HealthCare allows the treatment of chronic illnesses and charges favorable prices.
In 1978, the World Health Organization and UNICEF signed the Alma-Ata Declaration, which identified primary health care as a critical element in the pursuit of universal health coverage. Although this declaration was widely accepted at the time, implementation of its principles was hindered by various factors, such as lack of resources. In the last few years, governments and health organizations have reaffirmed the original principles of PHC and committed to making it the foundation of universal health coverage.
Primary health care is important because it helps individuals take responsibility for their own health. The services provided by primary care practitioners range from disease prevention to treatment. The primary care practitioners understand the social context and the natural course of illness and are equipped to treat common conditions. Primary care also reduces the cost of health care services in the public system by reducing hospitalization and the need for secondary and tertiary care.
Universal health coverage must be affordable and accessible to all people in the community. It should be provided in the form of preventive and curative services and should be based on scientific, practical, and socially acceptable methods. It should also involve community participation and education on prevalent health issues. It should include health promotion and disease prevention, adequate nutrition, sanitation, family planning, and reproductive health. In addition, it should provide essential drugs.
Primary health care is the first contact a person has with the health system. It is provided by a variety of health care providers in the community, including general practitioners, pharmacists, and allied health providers such as dentists and opticians. It is the primary form of health care most people use. Primary health care providers are focused on people rather than specific health conditions, and general practitioners are generalists who treat a wide variety of conditions.
In order to provide primary health care for a population, secondary health care needs to be organized, strengthened, and well-financed. Secondary health care must provide technical knowledge, guidance, supervision, and funding, as well as referral and recovery facilities for those in need of medical attention. Check out this post for more details related to this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_care_physician.
