Essentials On Primary Health Care Somalia Residents May Find Useful

By Joshua Bennett


Abbreviated as PHC, primary health care is more than just finding a cure to a disease. It brings together various sectors in the society with an aim of providing what is commonly termed universal healthcare. The idea is to integrate both curative and preventive measures in alleviating disease, not just in a single person but in the society as a whole. There are a number of essentials on primary health care Somalia residents may find worth knowing as they strive to benefit from better service provision.

A key principle in PHC is equity in distribution of services. This implies facilities and service should be made accessible in all areas based on how much a community can accommodate in terms of resources. It is discriminatory to provide services based on race, gender or the status of a person in society.

Community participation is necessary for PHC to work effectively. The community needs to be willing to receive education from within and without regarding how best they can stay healthy. Members of the community also need to ensure they keep their environment clean at all times. This means putting up pit latrines to be used as a means of disposing of human waste and any other that may harbor bacteria. There is also a need of clearing bushes around homes to avoid attracting mosquitoes, the cause of malaria in many tropical countries. These are just but a few examples of how the community can participate in achieving primary healthcare.

Service providers are a vital tool in achieving universality in care. The necessary stakeholders in society need to ensure that hospitals are fully equipped with the necessary workforce. Enough numbers of nurses, doctors, surgeons, anesthetists and laboratory technicians are required. Employment of enough personnel helps the community to be accorded maximum care when they are affected by various illnesses.

Diagnosis and management of disease requires the use of technology. The technology needs to be affordable to the clients using it. It also needs to be effective and free of any adverse effects. The concerned personnel should know how to operate it well without facing major challenges. Running such equipment in the rural areas may not be feasible because of challenges such as poor socioeconomic status, lack of resources to train personnel and unavailability of electricity.

Clearly, the provision of PHC is not just the reserve of the health care system. Other disciplines such as agriculture, engineering, education and community organizations are equally of benefit. The agricultural sector, for example, works to ensure that all nutritious foods are readily available. The engineering department, on the other hand, works to ensure that roads are accessible and electricity is present in all the rural areas.

Over the years, PHC has undergone tremendous changes in a bid to achieve set targets. One of the changes that primary health care has gone through is coming up with what is known as selective PHC. In this concept, the targets are customized to the community in question. Set goals are more measurable and specific, based on availability of resources. It encompasses principles such as breastfeeding, monitoring of growth in children, immunization, family planning, among other indicators.

In a nutshell, achieving universal health care calls for commitment, positivity and patience among other attributes. It goes beyond just providing cure to diseases in hospitals. PHC involves other sectors in a bid to ensure that all members of the society are free of disease. Primary healthcare is a concept that should, therefore, be fully embraced.




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