WHO calls for focus on Primary Care

With the current political climate and the publication of the World Health Organization’s “Primary Health Care: Now More Than Ever,” Family Physicians everywhere are being thrust into the spotlight with health professionals, politicians, and patients all wanting to hear our thoughts how we can help fix our… somewhat dysfunctional health care system.

In 2000 WHO reported that “the U.S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance.” It also mentions that “the United Kingdom, which spends just six percent of GDP on health services, ranks 18th.” Unfortunately, eight years later, not much has changed.

But it’s not just the U.S. All over the world countries are investing a great amount of their financial and other resources on health care, but not achieving the desired health outcomes. The solution very well may be reforming broken systems and turning to Primary Care based systems.

The WHO’s report calls for Primary Health Care reform that encompasses the following four basic tenets:

• Universal Coverage
• Patient-Centered Services
• Healthy Public Policies
• Leadership
  

See the full report here.