Guest Editorial - Special Issue on Primary Health Care

Abstract

In 1978, at the 1st International Conference on Primary Health Care, held in Alma-Ata in the former Soviet Union, the World Health Organization declared primary health care (PHC) as the means of achieving "health for all" of the world's people by the year 2000. PHC is considered to be essential health care that is based on practical, scientifically sound, socially acceptable methods and technologies that are universally accessible to people in their local communities (World Health Organization, 1978). Professional nursing associations quickly embraced these principles and advocated for reform of the health-care system with PHC as the guiding framework. Nursing also called for more research on PHC, to explore and evaluate effective ways of working with individuals, families, groups, and communities to improve health.