Challenges to Primary Health Care
By: Nawaraj Subba, MPH, MA
Public Health Dimension
Socio-Cultural Dimension
Socio-Environmental Dimension
Political Dimension
National Polities
International Dimension
Philosophical Dimension
With the turning of new century there are arising some crucial issues in the scenario of Public Health. Now politicians seem like tired to speak about Health for All by the year 2000. But Public Health Professionals and Planners are busy to evaluate the past landmarks of history of Primary Health Care. Public Health Personnel are now experiencing different types of new more challenges. Some of the major dimensions are as follows.
Population Explosion and Migration. | |
Communicable Diseases. |
ARI, Diarrhoea are major killers of under 5 children in Nepal. TB, JE, is growing problems.
Epidemic/Endemic. |
Diarrhoeal diseases, ARI, Gastroenteritis are epidemic and Malaria, TB and Kalazar are endemic in developing countries.
Disaster Management. |
Disasters such as flood, landslide have been experienced every year in Nepal.
Malnutrition. |
According to UNICEF's study, Nepal has more than 90% under 1-year children were found suffering from Iron deficiency Anemia. Likewise 70% lactating mothers were found suffering from Iron deficiency Anemia. About 50% of under 5 years children were found malnourished and 11% are severely malnourished among them.
Inadequate Safe Water Supply. |
According to "The state of the world's Children 1998" the situation of safe water supply is available only for 60% of the population in Nepal.
Re-emerging Diseases. |
Once almost controlled Malaria is now reemerging alarmingly year by year.
New Emerging Diseases. |
HIV/AIDS, CHD, Road Accidents are newly increasing diseases in Nepal. It is been estimated that there will be 2/3rd of HIV/AIDS cases load will be found in developing countries.
New Morbidity. |
Due to the rapid urbanization and socio-economic transition; small children are facing new morbidity that include neglect, abuse and violence especially among street children.
Mental Diseases and Violence. |
It has been estimated that about 25 to 30% of Hospital OPD patients are those who are mentally suffering mainly Anxiety Neurosis to Depression.
Geriatric Problem. |
With the rise in Life Expectancy developing country such as Nepal is facing the geriatric problem. According to the World Health Report of WHO in 1998 there will be increase upto 300% of older population are expected in some countries especially in Latin America and Southeast Asia within next 30 years.
Reproductive Health. |
Unmeet need still high that is of great concern for family planning. Girls and women are being denied the same rights and privileges as their brother at home at work in the classroom or the clinic.
Resource Allocation. |
Only 10 percent of national budget have been allocated for PHC services.
Changes in the rank order of diseases. |
Changing of trend of disease pattern is also a challenge for PHC. Once rare disease such as Coronary Heart Disease for developing country has been common today.
Poor Management |
Management decisions will always involve both art and science; the desire is to increase the factual content of decision.
The search for equity. |
Now equity has been translated into age and sex group like mother and child. But it is not found to reach beyond topographically, deprived group of people or nationalities. So, there is need to redefine the equity on the basis of sociologically, economically not only technically. We have never succeed in applying the available knowledge to every country and every sector of the population within a country, The difference in morbidity and mortality rates between black and white population of united states as well a the disease differences between market economics and developing areas of the world make a point on a daily basis. WHO has concluded that there is wide variation between indigenous people and Non indigenous people within a country.
Establishing Objectives and standards. |
Selecting an objective and standard is an important step in Health system. There may be room for questions whether the Alma-Ata conference was really represented in terms of overall people of a whole country. Were all governments really responsible for their people in the proper implementation Primary Health Care in their country? These are such crucial question that answer is not just yes or No.
Incorporation of Behavioral science into Public Health. |
Because of social evolution we are facing complexity in terms of life style, violence, crime, accidents. To explore the proper way to breakthrough of a problem, behavioral science could be a most helpful discipline for Public Health.
Selecting Priorities and analysis. |
There is need to review for selecting priorities.
Health System Analysis.
Diseases |
Self-Limiting. |
Chronic ill, sick |
Psychologically based group |
Acute Medical conditions |
Requires or Rationale. |
No medication |
understanding & help, Medication |
understanding & help, Medication |
Medication. |
Usual Practices. |
No medication Medication Traditional H.Care. |
No medication Medication TraditionalH.Care. |
No medication Medication Traditional Health cares. |
No medication Medication TraditionalH.Care. |
Disease Burden |
20% |
|||
Health Care Services. |
80% |
|||
Traditional Health Care. |
67% |
Research - both useful and usable for a much broader segment of population is needed today. | |
Privacy Issue and Public Health. |
There is also increasing trend of HIV/AIDS and STD. Now there is raising ethical question regarding privacy and confidentiality of a clients and patients. But these confidential group of people are free to contact with vulnerable group is a great concern of people's health or public health.
Application of New Tools. |
At the beginning new tools they are expensive, unaffordable and unacceptable as well.
Irrational Use of Drugs. |
Problem of irrational use of drugs is now so serious that it a big challenge for Public health and Primary Health Care. Sir Oliver Wendell Dolmen proves it with this saying. It is as " If all the medicines in the world were dumped into the sea it would be much more better for humans, but so much worse for the fish."
Effective use of information available. As Causin (1990) has stated as " there is a tendency to confuse logic with values, intelligence; the challenge to public health professionals is to provide wisdom and insight". | |
Occupational Health. Health and working condition are correlated. But still occupational health has been neglected in developing countries. |
Poverty. |
In Nepal more than 50% people are living under poverty line. In year 2000 according to World population Data Sheet per capita GDP is only $210.
Illiteracy. |
According to CBS (1997) Literacy Rate in Nepal is 52.6% and Female Literacy Rate is only 37.8%. Girl students enrolled in school are only 39.86% and also their school-leaving rate is still high.
Life Style. |
Changing life style is affecting the health of people. Rare diseases before a couple of decade such CHD, Diabetes, cancer have become common in Nepal today. This implies the changing life style of people.
People's Participation. |
One of the pillar of PHC is found so weaker that concept of PHC could not in the community level. Imposition of top-bottom approach is also responsible to repel people's participation
Decentralization. |
This concept was highlighted during Bamako (1984). Nepal has made a new Decentralization Act (1999). But decentralization itself is not goal it is only the means to achieve goal. Decentralization leads to local allocation of funds but curative care is generally valued more than preventive. Public health priorities and equity need to be protected.
Cultural practices. |
There are so many cultural practices that harm health. For example Open defecation, Cutting Umbilicus with rusted blade or put cowdung over it etc.
Cultural Stigma. |
We can take early marriage of girl child as a cultural stigma.
Cultural Value. |
To measure as low the birth of a girl child may lead to neglect care of mother during delivery and lactation that is harmful for both mother and child for health.
Food Taboos. |
Beliefs are still prevailed such as giving a leafy vegetable to mother or child can cause diarrhea during lactation.
D. Socio-Environmental Dimension.
Environmental Degradation
: Refugees creating social, economic, cultural and health problem. E.g. Bhutanese Refugee in Nepal.E. Political Dimension.
Lack of political commitment. |
Unnecessary Political interference is existing in beurocracy in developing country such as in Nepal. In the report (MOH,DoHS 2054/55) it has been realized that there was found " frequent transfer and policalization of the civil service."
Dependency |
The Public health programs are heavily dependent for budget on bilateral and multilateral agencies.
Donors are carrying vertically their program as selective approach. e.g. Vita. A. Program. | |
Utilization of Political structure. |
Political system has a top to bottom networking with their specific function.
Lack of promoting and protecting Ethno-medicine. |
Rational application of Existing knowledge. |
The gap between knowledge and its application is wider than ever before. Technology appropriate for the various socioeconomic situations may need further exploration on the basis of country's need.
Ethical Safeguards. |
Rapid advances in areas such as Biotechnology and Biomedical engineering now pose serious legal and economic challenges. For example we can take trial of JE vaccine and Vaccine for Hepatitis E has now raised the ethical questions in Nepal.
Structure and scheme of Globalization. |
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War and use of Biological, Chemical weapons. |
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Structural Adjustment Program (SAP). |
Defining the boundaries of Public Health. |
Redefining the boundaries with the inclusion of a range of new problems places new challenges on the use of public health approaches.
Improving the definition of Public Health Problems. |
It is been felt that public health workers of today need to be involved in the poverty alleviation activities, education, attempts at empowerment and safety nets of various kinds.
Changing Public Perception of Public Health. |
Fatalism is still the norm for large parts of the population in both the United States and the rest of the world.
The challenge of optimism. |
New risks are emerging through new technology. Developed war, violence are found everywhere in the world. Social capitals are being dissolved and poor see no hope. Public Health leader must be in the midst and provide balance. It should be clear that those things beyond our control but to be judged on how we respond to what could be altered.
Predicting the predictable future. |
Civilization is finally measured by how people treat each other not by the splendor of corporate office or the texture of a politician's suit. As a public health professional, we simply failed to predict the future in an appropriate way.
Protecting the future. |
Together with other group, we must conscious of the impact of our actions on future populations, their numbers as well as their attributes on the physical environment including the ozone layer, rain forest preservation, acid rain, bio-diversity. Now it is necessary to define the common enemy. Therefore, public health personals should come up on the basis of national and local situation with the leadership of WHO, UNICEF and UN agencies. Also, needed to intensify their effort to disease control programs, population programs, environmental programs, education program, anti- poverty programs etc. Thus, the challenges to Primary Health Care present in the way of Health for All need to be explored multi-dimensionally as mentioned above.
©2002. Nawaraj Subba, MPH.
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