Primary Health Care Reforms

The concept of Comprehensive Primary Health Care focuses on health system efforts to improve equity in health care access, community empowerment, participation of marginalized groups, and actions on the social determinants of health. Despite its existence since the late 1970s very few studies have been able to highlight the outcomes of this concept, until now. Revitalizing Health for All examines thirteen cases of efforts to implement CPHC reforms from around the globe including Australia, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, South Africa, and more. The findings presented in this volume originate from an international action-research set of studies that utilized triads of senior and junior researchers and knowledge users from each country’s public health system. Primary health care reform is an important policy discourse both at the national level in these countries and in the global conversations, and this volume reveals the similarities among CPHC projects in diverse national contexts. These similarities provide a rich evidence base from which future CPHC reform initiatives can draw, regardless of their country.

The New Public Health has established itself as a solid textbook throughout the world. Translated into 7 languages, this work distinguishes itself from other public health textbooks, which are either highly locally oriented or, if international, lack the specificity of local issues relevant to students' understanding of applied public health in their own setting. This 3e provides a unified approach to public health appropriate for all masters' level students and practitioners—specifically for courses in MPH programs, community health and preventive medicine programs, community health education programs, and community health nursing programs, as well as programs for other medical professionals such as pharmacy, physiotherapy, and other public health courses. Changes in infectious and chronic disease epidemiology including vaccines, health promotion, human resources for health and health technology Lessons from H1N1, pandemic threats, disease eradication, nutritional health Trends of health systems and reforms and consequences of current economic crisis for health Public health law, ethics, scientific d health technology advances and assessment Global Health environment, Millennium Development Goals and international NGOs

This book establishes a framework for assessing health care reform proposals and their implementation. It helps clarify objectives, identifies issues to be addressed in proposals, distinguishes between short- and long-term expectations and achievements, and directs attention to important but sometimes neglected questions about the organization and provision of health care services. In addition, the volume presents a discussion and analysis of issues essential to achieving fundamental goals of health care reform: to maintain and improve health and well-being, to make basic health coverage universal, and to encourage the efficient use of limited resources. The book is a useful resource for anyone developing or assessing options for reform.

For many citizens primary health care is the first point of contact with their health care system, where most of their health needs are satisfied but also acting as the gate to the rest of the system. In that respect primary care plays a crucial role in how patients value health systems as responsive to their needs and expectations. This volume analyses the way how primary are is organized and delivered across European countries, looking at governance, financing and workforce aspects and the breadth of the service profiles. It describes wide national variations in terms of accessibility, continuity and coordination. Relating these differences to health system outcomes the authors suggest some priority areas for reducing the gap between the ideal and current realities.

Section one discusses the challenges to the health status of the Nova Scotia population, the demographic characteristics of Nova Scotians, and the strengths of the current primary health care system. Section two presents the background & context for primary health care renewal in the province, including the vision & criteria for primary health care. Subsequent sections present analyses of the current situation, rationales & options for change, and recommendations for primary health care reform. The third section focusses on the central components of the primary health care system, including services & programs, contributors, integration & linkages, and models of service delivery that are the front line of primary health care as experienced by the public & providers. Section four focusses on essential supporting structures, which include governance, accountability, funding, change management, evaluation, and information technology. The last section identifies key next steps required to ensure the realization of primary health care renewal in Nova Scotia.

Rapid and profound change poses major challenges to health policy decisions in the countries of central and eastern Europe (CCEE). The analysis of the development of primary health care (PHC) in southern European countries, made in WHO meetings in recent years, can be useful to the CCEE. This meeting served to foster information exchanges between experts from the two groups of countries review the contents and achievement of previous fora, assess PHC and the health care reforms under way in the southern countries of the Region and establish their relevance to the CCEE.