Professional Documents
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Primary Health Care (PHC) in The Phil
Primary Health Care (PHC) in The Phil
the Philippines
Claudette anne t. cormayr RN,MAN
Introduction
Primary Health Care (PHC) is an essential health care made universally acceptable to
individuals and families in the community by means acceptable to them through their full
participation and at a cost that the community and country and can afford at every stage of
development.
Definitions
The ultimate goal of primary health care is better health for all. WHO has identified five
key elements to achieving that goal:
Reducing exclusion and social disparities in health (universal coverage reforms);
Organizing health services around people’s needs and expectations (service delivery
reforms);
Integrating health into all sectors (public policy reforms);
Pursuing collaborative models of policy dialogue (leadership reforms); and
Increasing stakeholder participation.
History
There are two types of primary health care workers in the Philippines:
Barangay Health Worker or Village Health Worker
Intermediate level Primary Health Worker
Four Pillars
Attaining health for all Filipinos will require expanding participation in health and health-related programs whether
as service provider or beneficiary. Empowerment to parents, families and communities to make decisions of their
health is the desired outcome.
Advocacy must be directed to national and local policy making to elicit support and commitment to major health
concerns through legislations, budgetary and logistical considerations.
The health in the hands of the people brings the government closest to the people. It necessitates a process of
capacity building of communities and organization to plan, implement and evaluate health programs at their levels.
3. Increasing efficiency in health sector
Using appropriate technology will make services and resources required for
their delivery, effective, affordable, accessible and culturally acceptable.
The development of human resources must correspond to the actual needs of
the nation and the policies it upholds such as PHC.
The Department of Health (DOH) continue to support and assist both public
and private institutions particularly in faculty development, enhancement of
relevant curricula and development of standard teaching materials.
4. Advancing essential national health research
The following are the eight (8) essential elements of primary health care:
1. Education for Health
This is one of the potent methodologies for information dissemination. It promotes the
partnership of both the family members and health workers in the promotion of health as well as
prevention of illness.
The control of endemic disease focuses on the prevention of its occurrence to reduce morbidity
rate. Example Malaria control and Schistosomiasis control
3. Expanded Program on Immunization
This program exists to control the occurrence of preventable illnesses especially of children
below 6 years old. Immunizations on poliomyelitis, measles, tetanus, diphtheria and other
preventable disease are given for free by the government and ongoing program of the DOH
4. Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning
The mother and child are the most delicate members of the community. So the protection of
the mother and child to illness and other risks would ensure good health for the community.
The goal of Family Planning includes spacing of children and responsible parenthood.
One basic need of the family is food. And if food is properly prepared then one may be assured healthy family.
There are many food resources found in the communities but because of faulty preparation and lack of
knowledge regarding proper food planning, Malnutrition is one of the problems that we have in the country.
The diseases spread through direct contact pose a great risk to those who can be infected. Tuberculosis is one of
the communicable diseases continuously occupies the top ten causes of death. Most communicable diseases are
also preventable. The Government focuses on the prevention, control and treatment of these illnesses.
This focuses on the information campaign on the utilization and acquisition of drugs. In response to this
campaign, the GENERIC ACT of the Philippines is enacted. It includes the following drugs: Cotrimoxazole,
Paracetamol, Amoxycillin, Oresol, Nifedipine, Rifampicin, INH (isoniazid) and Pyrazinamide,Ethambutol,
Streptomycin,Albendazole,Quinine
Principles
The health services should be present where the supposed recipients are. They should make use of the
available resources within the community, wherein the focus would be more on health promotion and
prevention of illness.
2. Community Participation
Thus, the success of any undertaking that aims at serving the people is dependent on
people’s participation at all levels of decision-making; planning, implementing, monitoring
and evaluating. Any undertaking must also be based on the people’s needs and problems
(PCF, 1990)
Part of the people’s participation is the partnership between the community and the
agencies found in the community; social mobilization and decentralization.
In general, health work should start from where the people are and building on what they
have. Example: Scheduling of Barangay Health Workers in the health center
Barriers of Community Involvement
Lack of motivation
Attitude
Resistance to change
Dependence on the part of community people
Lack of managerial skills
4. Self-reliance
Providing linkages between the government and the non-government organization and
people’s organization.
6. Recognition of interrelationship between the health and development
Health is defined as not merely the absence of disease. Neither is it only a state of physical
and mental well-being. Health being a social phenomenon recognizes the interplay of
political, socio-cultural and economic factors as its determinant. Good Health therefore, is
manifested by the progressive improvements in the living conditions and quality of life
enjoyed by the community residents
Development is the quest for an improved quality of life for all. Development is
multidimensional. It has political, social, cultural, institutional and environmental
dimensions (Gonzales 1994). Therefore, it is measured by the ability of people to satisfy
their basic needs.
7. Social Mobilization
8. Decentralization
This ensures empowerment and that empowerment can only be facilitated if the
administrative structure provides local level political structures with more substantive
responsibilities for development initiators. This also facilities proper allocation of
budgetary resources.
Thank you!