Primary Health Care

These slides briefly explain the topic primary healthcare in community dentistry.

1. Presented by - Rajat Hegde

2. CONTENTS Introduction Levels of health care Concept Definition Elements Principles Summary References

3. introduction Health has been declared as a fundamental human right. Hence, the governments all over the world strive to expand and improve their healthcare services. What is Health Care …?! These are the services provided to individuals or communities by agents of the health services or professions, for the purpose of promoting, maintaining, monitoring or restoring health. ‘HEALTH CARE IMPLIES MORE THAN MEDICAL CARE’

4. LEVELS OF HEALTH CARE

5. Tertiary level health care This level of health care is provided at the state/regional/central level institutions. E.g. Medical College Hospitals, Regional Hospitals. It is more specialized level, requires specific facilities and attention of highly specialized health workers. These institutions serve as referral units for primary and secondary levels. They also serve as teaching institution for education and training of various categories of health care professionals.

6. Secondary level health care At this level, more complex problems are taken care which require secondary level of preventive services and curative services. These services are provided at district hospitals and community health centres . The cases which cannot be handled at PHC are referred over here.

7. Primary health care ( phc ) It’s the first level of contact between the recipient of care and health care delivery system. Majority of the problems are dealt at this level. In India, primary health care service is provided by primary health centres and their subcentres through: 1. Multipurpose health workers 2. ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) 3. ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) In urban areas, these services are given by maternal child health and family welfare centres , and dispensaries. 4. Anganwadi workers 5. Village health guides

8. concept of phc The concept of primary health care came into existence on September 12, 1978, following a Joint WHO-UNICEF International Conference at Alma-Ata (USSR). Earlier synonyms: “basic health services”, “first contact care”, “easily accessible care”, ”services provided by generalists”. The services provided are: Simple and efficient with regard to cost, techniques, and organization. Readily accessible to those concerned and contributes to improving the living conditions.

9. Definition of phc Primary health care is defined as “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.

10. Elements / components of phc Health education Group discussion Potable safe drinking water Programs- Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Food safety Equal distribution Mid-day meal program Care should be taken from antenatal period to child birth. Vaccines against TB, measles, mumps, polio, Hep B Like malaria, worm manifestations Anti-malarial treatment Dog bite Tetanus RTA (Minor Injuries) Provision of essential drugs: Birth control pills Nutrition supplements

11. Principles of phc

12. 1. Equitable Distribution It means that health care services must be shared equally by all people irrespective of their ability to pay, and all must have access to it (be it rich/poor, urban/rural). ‘Social Injustice’: At present, health services are mainly concentrated in major towns and cities resulting in inequality of care to the people in rural areas and urban slums. This failure is due to inaccessibility. Thus, PHC aims to redress this imbalance by shifting the centre of gravity of health care system from cities (where 3/4 th health budget is spent) to the rural areas ( where 3/4 th of the population lives).

13. 2. Community participation Essential ingredient of PHC – involvement of individuals, families and communities in promotion of their own health and welfare. In India, this has been tried successfully using village health guides and trained dais. They provide primary health care by overcoming cultural and communication barriers, in ways that are acceptable to community. This was greatly influenced by experience in China where community participation was in the form of bare-foot doctors.

14. 3. Intersectoral coordination It is necessary to coordinate with other sectors for achieving goals because no sector can achieve its goals in isolation. An important element of intersectoral approach is planning – planning with other sectors to avoid unnecessary duplication of activities.. This requires a strong political will.

15. 4. Appropriate technology It implies the use of appropriate methods, techniques and equipments which are scientifically sound and simple, and adaptable to local needs. E.g. Neem stick and mango leaf for tooth brushing are effective when used in a proper way.

16. 5. Focus on prevention Health services should not be only curative but should also promote health and healthy lifestyles with emphasis on prevention.

17. summary Till now, we have discussed about primary health care under the contents - introduction, levels of health care (primary, secondary and tertiary), concept, definition, elements and principles of PHC.

18. References Park’s textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine. Soben Peter’s Essentials of Public Health Dentistry.