Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112785

Jean F. Mouch, MD, MPH, Office for Community Health Evaluation, Planning and Research, Medical Mission Sisters, 517 State Street, Camden, NJ 08102, 856-964-1233, mouchjf@yahoo.com

Over the past 27 years, the Primary Health Care (PHC) movement has continued to grow in both its practice and its impact on health policies. This presentation will discuss the Declaration of Alma Ata which was created at the International Conference on Primary Health Care, September 1978 and accepted by the World Health Organization as their health strategy, up to the current time. The learning objectives for this session will be the answers to the following three questions: a) What principles were defined in the Declaration of Alma Ata and have they remained as the main guidance for policy making in primary health care? b) In the evaluation of the W.H.O. on its Primary Health Care Strategies implemented over two decades, what were the major outcomes at global, regional, and local levels? c) In the current atmosphere of globalization in health care services, what challenges does the Alma Ata PHC Vision continue to bring into the areas of debate in health care system equity, quality and coverage? The presentation will speak to how the PHC principles and practices are demonstrated in the current W.H.O. Strategy for Health in the 21st Century and the Millennium Goals for Health. Conclusion: The Declaration of Alma Ata is a watershed in Global Health policy making that had significant impact on local health systems, particularly in the less developed countries of the south.

Learning Objectives:

• Explore the principles of the Declaration of Alma Ata which remain as guides for policy development in Primary Health Care
• Learn about the W.H.O. evaluation of the "Health for All" PHC strategy and the outcomes at global, regional, and local levels.
• Discuss the challenges of PHC principles and practices for today's issues in global health policies.

Keywords: Primary Care, International Public Health

Related Web page: www.medicalmissionsisters.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation