Community Pharmacy - Principle of PHC

Principle of PHC

The PHC approach is based on principles of society equity, national wide coverage, self reliance, intersectorial coordination and people’s involvement in the planning and implementation of the health programme.

1. Equitable distribution
2. Community participation
3. Intersectorial co-ordination
4. Appropriate Technology

1.Equitable Distribution: The first principle of in the PHC strategy is equity or equitable distribution of health services. i.e. health services must be shared equally by all people irrespective of their ability to pay and all (rich/poor, urban/rural) must have access to health services. At present, health services are mainly concentrated in the major towns and cities resulting an inequality of health to the rural people. PHC aims to redress the imbalance by shifting the centre of gravity of the health care system from cities to the rural areas and thus bring services as near people’s home as possible.

2. Community Participation: The involvement or participation of individuals, families and communities (social workers, health personnel, school teachers, religious, political and local leaders) in promotion of their own health and welfare is an essential ingredient of PHC. Thus the community should participate in the planning, implementation & maintenance of health services.

3. Inter-sectorial Co-ordination: The components of PHC can not be provided by the health sector alone. So PHC should involve in addition to the health sector, all related sectors & aspects of national and community development; in particularly agriculture, animal husbandry, food industry, education, housing, public works, communication and other sectors. To achieve such cooperation, countries may have to review their administrative system, reallocated their resources and introduce a suitable legislation to ensure co-ordination can take place.

4. Appropriate Technology: Appropriate technology has been defined as the technology that is scientifically sound, adaptable to local needs and acceptable to those, who apply it and those for whom it is used and that can be maintained by the people themselves, in keeping with the principle of self-reliance with the resources, the community and country can afford. This applies to using sophisticated technology and medicine in appropriate way against relevant health problem. e.g., domiciliary treatment of T.B, ORS therapy in cholera & diarrhoea.