The Advantages of PHC

World policy makers created Primary Health Care at the Alma Ata conference in 1978 as a stepping stone on the road to universal health care. PHC was founded on the principles that health care should come up with solutions for prevention and cure in communities throughout the world regardless of economic and social standing. There are many potential advantages to successfully instituting a PHC system.

Universal Health Care

• While not all people believe that universal health care is a possibility, if a PHC can be instituted within a country, the benefits can be countless. Universal health care does not discriminate against any member of a society. Universal health care can prevent many deaths that occur every year from untreated malnourishment and disease.

Doctor Access

• In other health-care systems, it can be difficult to obtain access to the right doctor at the right time. There may be long waiting lists, and many doctors may not take patients who are on certain insurance plans. PHC is set up so patients can get doctors when they need them. This typically leads to a high level of patient satisfaction.

Improved Health

• When health care is accessible to an entire country, it leads to improved health for that country. Those who were not receiving care before can receive it through PHC. This leads to a rise in overall health. According to a study in the East African Medical Journal, the institution of PHC led to a reduction in mortality rates for children younger than 5 years old, as well as increased immunization coverage by more than 50 percent of people living in several countries.

Patient-Centered Care

• Many types of health care center on the doctor. The doctor controls everything, including what specialists a patient can see. A PHC system makes sure that networks are people-centered. In the system, patients have access to primary care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, not just during doctor's business hours. PHC treats individuals holistically, combining prevention and cure on an individual basis that is more successful than visiting different doctors for different reasons. Lastly, more health centers are created in rural areas that typically do not have access to basic medical care and doctors, giving the population of a country drastically improved health care.