Expanding the roles of nurses in primary health care

ABSTRACT

For more than forty years Primary Health Care (PHC) has been recognized as the cornerstone of an effective and responsive health system. The Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978 reaffirmed the right to the highest attainable level of health, with equity, solidarity and the right to health as its core values. It stressed the need for comprehensive health services, not only curative but services that addressed needs in terms of health promotion, prevention, rehabilitation and treatment of common conditions. A strong resolutive first level of care is the basis for health system development. Countries begun the implementation of the PHC approach in the 1980 but several factors, including the economic crisis, and structural adjustment policies led to the diminishing of the Alma-Ata vision. The slogan of Alma-Ata, "Health for All by the Year 2000" was the rallying call for the movement, which stressed the need for community participation and intersectoral coordination in PHC. (AU)