Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Alma-Ata: Rebirth And Revision 8 - Primary Health Care: Making Alma-Ata A Reality, John Walley, Joy E. Lawn, Anne Tinker, Andres De Francisco, Mickey Chopra, Igor Rudan, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Robert E. Black

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

The principles agreed at Alma-Ata 30 years ago apply just as much now as they did then. "Health for all" by the year 2000 was not achieved, and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for 2015 will not be met in most low-income countries without substantial acceleration of primary health care. Factors have included insufficient political prioritisation of health, structural adjustment policies, poor governance, population growth, inadequate health systems, and scarce research and assessment on primary health care. We propose the following priorities for revitalising primary health care. Health-service infrastructure, including human resources and essential drugs, needs strengthening, and user fees …