Holistic Approach in Strengthening of Primary Health Care Service

Abstract

Sri Lanka is currently facing a demographic and epidemiological transition, which includes the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD), immerging, and re-emerging of communicable diseases. Further, Population ageing in Sri Lanka is accelerating at a faster rate than in other South Asian countries. Primary Health Care, often abbreviated as ‘PHC’, has been defined by World Health Organization as “an approach that in whole society that aims at ensuring the highest possible level of health and well-being and their equitable distribution by focusing on people’s needs and as early as possible along the continuum from health promotion and disease prevention to treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care, and as close as feasible to people’s everyday environment". Currently, there is a dichotomy in PHC as preventive and curative aspects.Reversing the service utilization pattern would likely yield substantial efficiency gains that maximize the benefit of existing resources as well as maximal utilization of higher-level institution for needy critical patients, while changing PHC as popular first contact points closure to their homes providing comprehensive care package. The Key Result Areas are Strengthening Primary Health Care Service with reforms, Empowering individuals, families and communities, and Facilitating broader determinants of health. The Strategic Objectives are to meet people's health needs throughout their lives; promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitation and palliative care ensuring availability, coverage, affordability and equitable access to quality health services with appropriate technology and facilities through a team of well-trained staff in adequate number. (Equitable distribution of health care with appropriate technology and developed Health workforce), To empower individuals, families and communities to take charge of their own health through community awareness and participation (Community participation and community engagement), and to address the broader determinants of health through Multisectoral policy and action ensuring the quality of available basic needs of citizens (Multi-sectoral approach). A strategic framework was designed based on above objectives.