|
 
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| EDITORIAL |
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| Year : 2020 | Volume
: 1
| Issue : 1 | Page : 1-2 |
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Call for integration of public health and primary care
Raman Kumar
Director, Institute of Family Medicine and Primary Care; President, Academy of Family Physicians of India
| Date of Submission | 17-Dec-2020 |
| Date of Decision | 20-Dec-2020 |
| Date of Acceptance | 17-Dec-2020 |
| Date of Web Publication | 31-Dec-2020 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Raman Kumar
049, Crema Tower Mahagun Mascot, Crossing Republik, Ghaziabad 202016 UP
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/jphpc.jphpc_26_20
Primary Care (PC) and Primary Health Care (PHC) are often employed interchangeably; however, they differ in practical application, context, and public health setting. There interface between Public Health and Primary Care is also not clearly understood by academicians and professionals. Due to a lack of proper understanding, the concepts are applied sub-optimally. WHO has called to close the gap between Public Health (PH) and Primary Care (PC) through integration. Academic forums and professional need to actively engage to develop support for the agenda of integration of Public Health and Primary Care.
Keywords: Community medicine, family medicine, primary care, primary health care, public health, WHO
How to cite this article:
Kumar R. Call for integration of public health and primary care. J Public Health Prim Care 2020;1:1-2 |
| Understanding Primary Care and Public Health | |  |
Primary Care (PC) and Primary Health Care (PHC) are often employed interchangeably; however, they differ in practical application, context, and public health setting. There interface between Public Health and Primary Care is also not clearly understood by academicians and professionals. Due to a lack of proper understanding, the concepts are applied sub-optimally. WHO has called to close the gap between Public Health (PH) and Primary Care (PC) through integration. Primary Care describes the concept of “family doctor” and services delivered to individuals. The academic specialty is known as Family Medicine or General Practice. Whereas 'Primary Health Care' originated from the 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration and describes not only a level of care, but a more comprehensive approach, emphasizing universal coverage, accessibility, comprehensive care, disease prevention, and health promotion, intersectoral action, and community and individual involvement (WHO, 1978).[1],[2]
| Shared Goals | | |
Historically, public health and primary care have shared a common goal of a healthy population. There is a complex interaction between Public Health and Primary Care. The Journal of Public Health and Primary Care (JPHPC) aims to close the gap between Public Health (PH) and Primary Care (PC) through integration. JPHPC also acts as an interactive forum for primary care providers, policymakers, health care administrators, community leaders, social scientists, health care funding agencies towards the provision of cost-effective, personalized, continued, comprehensive, holistic form of health care to individuals, families, and communities.
Public Health (PH) is a multidisciplinary domain, defined as “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the society' organized efforts.” The multifaceted functions of public health provide the necessary tools to improve health through health promotion, protection, and disease prevention at population and individual levels. Primary care (PC) providers have been principally focused on the individual's health, but are increasingly oriented to responding to the health of the communities they serve. Barbara Starfield has defined primary care as “the first level of contact with the health system to promote health, prevent illness, care for common illnesses, and manage on-going health problems.”
| Integration and Interventions | | |
The current service model needs to integrate key public health functions and interventions into primary care services. Primary care is the backbone of any effective public health system that aims for better population health. In settings where primary care has been effectively deployed and supported with adequate training and resources, family physicians, and primary care teams only refer around five percent of patients from consultations to secondary care. Countries more oriented to primary care have populations with better health and services delivered at a lower cost.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | | |
| 1. | |
| 2. | Muldoon LK, Hogg WE, Levitt M. Primary care (PC) and primary health care (PHC). What is the difference? Can J Public Health 2006;97:409-11.  |
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