Achieving Health for All: Primary Health Care in Action

by David Bishai (Editor), Meike Schleiff (Editor)

Overview

How did seven low- and middle-income countries, inspired by the landmark Alma-Ata Declaration, dramatically improve citizen health by focusing on primary health care?

The Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978 marked a potential turning point in global health, signaling a commitment to primary health care that could have improved the safety of air, food, water, roads, homes, and workplaces in all 180 countries that signed it. Unfortunately, progress in many countries stalled in the 1980s. The declaration was, however, embraced by a number of countries, where its implementation led to substantial improvement in citizen health.

Achieving Health for All reveals how, inspired by Alma-Ata, the governments of seven countries executed comprehensive primary health care systems, deploying new cadres of community-based health workers to bring relevant services to ordinary households. Drawing on a set of narrative case studies from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Nepal, Ghana, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam,the book explains how a primary health care focus succeeded in improving population health. The book also conclusively demonstrates that comprehensive, multisector, community-controlled, and population-level primary health care is a viable strategy that, against the odds, has led to sustainable, scalable good health at lower cost.

Bringing together a group of experts to analyze the forty-year legacy of the Alma-Ata Declaration, Achieving Health for All is a fascinating look at the work needed to transform nations from places that make people sick to places where they stay healthy. An inspiring array of lessons learned along the way shows how readers can make policies that support the health of all people.

Contributors: Onaopemipo Abiodun, Vinya Ariyaratne, John Koku Awoonor-Williams, Kedar Prasad Baral, Ayaga A. Bawah, Pedro Más Bermejo, Fred N. Binka, David Bishai, Carolina Cardona, Dennis Carlson, Chala Tesfaye Chekagn, Hoang Khanh Chi, Svea Closser, Luc Barrière Constantin, Zufan Abera Damtew, Marlou de Rouw, Nadia Diamond-Smith, Philip Forth, Mignote Solomon Haile, Nguyen Thanh Huong, Taufique Joarder, Alice Kuan, Seblewengel Lemma, Sasmira Matta, Ahmed Moen, Rituu B. Nanda, Frank K. Nyonator, Ferdous Arfina Osman, Claudia Pereira, Henry B. Perry, James F. Phillips, Meike Schleiff, Melissa Sherry, Rita Thapa, Kebede Worku

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421438122
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	09/15/2020
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

David Bishai, MD, MPH is a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Meike Schleiff, MSPH, DrPH is an assistant scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Soumya Swaminathan
Foreword, by Abdul Ghaffar
Introduction. Why Does Primary Health Care Matter in the Twenty-First Century?
Part I. Primary Health Care Foundations
Chapter 1. Primary Health Care: History, Trends, Controversies, and Challenges
Chapter 2. Identifying Countries with Exceptionally Rapid Gains in Life Expectancy: A Quantitative Approach
Chapter 3. Strategies to Improve Comprehensive Primary Health Care Performance in a District
Chapter 4. Why Well-Supported Health Systems Are Necessary for Vertical Programs to Succeed: Lessons from Polio Eradication
Chapter 5. Continuity between Comprehensive Primary Health Care and Sustainable Development Goals
Chapter 6. Four Principles of Community-Based Primary Health Care: Support, Appreciate, Learn/Listen, Transfer (SALT)
Part II. Country Case Studies of Primary Health Care at Scale and the Way Forward
Chapter 7. Bangladesh's Health Improvement Strategy as an Example of the Alma-Ata Declaration in Action
Chapter 8. Ethiopia: Expansion of Primary Health Care through the Health Extension Program
Chapter 9. Health Improvement through the Primary Health Care Approach: Case of Nepal
Chapter 10. Four Decades of Community-Based Primary Health Care Development in Ghana
Chapter 11. Sri Lanka's Health Improvements as an Example of the Implementation of the Alma-Ata Declaration
Chapter 12. How Vietnam's Doi Moi Reforms Achieved Rapid Gains in Health with Comprehensive Primary Health Care
Chapter 13. Cuba's Progress on Primary Health Care since the Alma-Ata Conference
Chapter 14. Health for All in the Twenty-First Century: Lessons for the Next Forty Years of Implementing Primary Health Care
List of Contributors
Index

What People are Saying About This

Daniel C. Taylor

Health for All can be achieved! When my father, Carl Taylor, in planning the Alma Ata conference, grabbed the 'Health for All' phrase, evidence already showed it was possible. This book is more than the history of primary health care, it tells how to achieve what is primary for us all.

Michael J. Klag

Achieving Health for All lays out the history and accomplishments of primary health care as well as its points of tension, and opportunities for synergy, with vertical health interventions. Students, experts, and senior policy makers who desire to meet sustainable development goals and advance universal health coverage should read this book.

Olive Kobusingye

With compelling evidence from all continents, David Bishai and Meike Schleiff show that primary health care is about all health and that it will work for any country facing any type of health challenges, not just those associated with poorer economies. Bishai and Schleiff's engaging style and ability to turn data and historic accounts into lively prose makes reading this book a pleasure.

Remco van de Pas

A well-written, comprehensive overview of how primary health care developed over time and across countries.

From the Publisher

A well-written, comprehensive overview of how primary health care developed over time and across countries.
—Remco van de Pas, MD, Maastricht University

Achieving Health for All reveals how a focus on primary care can move us beyond just treating disease. David Bishai and Meike Schleiff have brought us closer to a world where disease no longer occurs—one that generates health.
—Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, Dean, School of Public Health, Boston University, coeditor of Teaching Public Health

Health for All can be achieved! When my father, Carl Taylor, in planning the Alma Ata conference, grabbed the 'Health for All' phrase, evidence already showed it was possible. This book is more than the history of primary health care, it tells how to achieve what is primary for us all.
—Daniel C. Taylor, President, Future Generations University, coauthor of Just and Lasting Change: When Communities Own Their Futures

Achieving Health for All lays out the history and accomplishments of primary health care as well as its points of tension, and opportunities for synergy, with vertical health interventions. Students, experts, and senior policy makers who desire to meet sustainable development goals and advance universal health coverage should read this book.
—Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

With compelling evidence from all continents, David Bishai and Meike Schleiff show that primary health care is about all health and that it will work for any country facing any type of health challenges, not just those associated with poorer economies. Bishai and Schleiff's engaging style and ability to turn data and historic accounts into lively prose makes reading this book a pleasure.
—Olive Kobusingye, MB ChB, MMed, MSc, MPH, Makerere University School of Public Health

Sandro Galea

Achieving Health for All reveals how a focus on primary care can move us beyond just treating disease. David Bishai and Meike Schleiff have brought us closer to a world where disease no longer occurs—one that generates health.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Kathryn A Ross, BS, MSN (Haverford College)
Description: The book explores the history and application of making health attainable for populations through primary healthcare systems by providing success stories and a broad range of contextualized examples. History, case studies, and information are written in captivating prose that are illuminating and easy to follow.
Purpose: Starting with the foundations of primary health care and including case studies from seven different countries, the book illustrates the ability of comprehensive, community-based primary health care to provide quality, affordable health for all. With contextualized evidence on the application of primary health care provided throughout, the book is necessary for anyone interested in improving or implementing successful primary healthcare systems around the world. The inclusion of successful case studies in the second part of the book meets the authors' goal to inspire and prepare future stakeholders in accessible global health. There is no material available online.
Audience: Designed for primary healthcare policy makers and implementers, the book is written for an audience interested in contextualized examples of successful primary healthcare stories. The book includes histories of the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978 and Astana Conference of 2018 and is useful for individuals studying primary healthcare systems and approaches. Containing significant case studies exemplifying comprehensive primary health care inspired by Alma-Ata and the Astana Conference, and a sufficient history and foundation of primary health care, the book meets the needs of stakeholders and implementers in the field. The authors of this edited volume have substantial backgrounds in the field of public health and have worked with contributors with varying health specialties from around the globe to ensure the information presented in the book is relevant and credible.
Features: Divided into two sections with a total of 14 chapters, the book first covers the foundations of primary health care and then includes country case studies and lessons for future implementation. Following the table of contents, the book has two forewords written by experts from the World Health Organization. Illustrations located throughout the chapters provide further explanation of information conveyed in the text and include tables, graphs, and figures. A reference list is provided at the end of each chapter and a complete list of contributors with brief biographies can be found at the end of the book. Additional information expanding on the primary topics covered is provided in boxes throughout the chapters with references for the boxes located at the end of the book. With numerous abbreviations used throughout each chapter, a consolidated abbreviations list would make the text more comprehensible.
Assessment: As a source for the history, execution, success, and future of comprehensive primary health care, the book includes substantial information and case studies that are both educational and uplifting. It provides data, guidance, and inspiring success stories that are beneficial for public health students, professors, policy makers, and facilitators. Without many similar titles in the field, the book is extremely useful for anyone interested in universal health policies.

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