1.3  Concepts of Primary Health Care

The term ‘Primary Health Care’ (PHC) is the name given to the essential healthcare that is universally accessible to individuals and is acceptable to them at a cost that the country and community can afford. Often, as in Ethiopia, this level of healthcare is free for people living in rural areas. Primary Health Care gained the world’s attention after the 1978 International Conference on PHC held at Alma Ata in the USSR (now called Almaty in the country that has become Kazakhstan). Since then many countries have started to follow the approach of PHC to reach rural communities where most of the health problems exist. PHC focuses on disease prevention and health promotion. It is the type of healthcare delivery sometimes described as ‘by the people, of the people and for the people.’ It involves the community in the whole process of healthcare delivery and encourages them to maintain their own health.

The role of the Health Extension Workers and Practitioners is to work with the community and help them acquire the knowledge and skills that enables them to ensure their own health. In the following sections you will study the principles of PHC that will help you to understand its impact on improving health throughout Ethiopia (Figure 1.2).

Figure 1.2  The health of Ethiopian children has improved since the introduction of effective PHC policies. (Photo: SOS Children’s Villages)