Primary Health Care

I remember the feeling of dread, when I awakened on my own in a hotel room where a conference was being held. I have been in Health Care now for over 20 years, and my sense of urgency grows each day. My sense of urgency and the frantic pace to which I was trying to “throw myself together” on that day, was that the then Minister of Health and Long Term Care was the key-note address speaker at the conference for Nurse Practitioners ( I have been a Primary Health Care Nurse Practititioner for more than five years now).

The sense of urgency that day, I was relieved from, and the dissapointment behind the address, has waned. There is now this “nagging” reality that exists for me, simply…I know too much,…far too much about future projections and the reality that we are on a collision course that has disatrous implications.

What makes me seem like a doom-sayer, is my passion for humanity. I would hope that would be suggested in that I had chosen health care, in particular nursing as a life journey. It has been quite a journey,…into nearly every specialty that you find an important role for nursing. I am now an educator of future nurses,…I feel my insights are important for all to learn…beyond these young students, to the audience who cares about global outcomes, health and quality of life of equitable measurement…and those with an affinity for social justice. If you wish to leave a legacy in this world, then we should talk.

What makes my knowledge and insight so special, so different, you ask? You first would need the preparatory understanding and be on the same page on the definition of, and importance fo Primary Health Care. Rooted deeply to the “determinants of health”, Primary Health Care, is more about everything else and less about health care professionals and traditional health care systems. It should not be confused with “Primary Care” which in short is “the first contact with the health care system’”.

The determinants of health of which I speak and do include orientation to primary health care, (which is an under-valued concern), the health services that are available (or not available or equitable access) based on the orientation or paradigm of the adminstrators of health care operate. (Please do not miss the point that it is not just Health Care Administrations, but also every health care professional,…and how they practice). The most powerful ( or should I say ‘disempowering’) determinants of health includes public apathy, illiteracy, deficiency of education (or accurate and complete understanding, due to language or apathy). Clearly poverty, malnutrition and lack of adequate safe drinking water, and the environment are issues to which the developed world has at least seen images of, the stark reality of hundreds of millions, many of whom are children.

So, if you have wondered what “wake-up call” you may have missed, you will want to avoid a frantic scattered approach to becoming more knowledgable of how significant a crisis looms, I encourage you to commit to not just reading along and re-visiting how others feel about these issues, but to contribute. It will cost you nothing but time at this point, but if you really want to leave a legacy, then make a serious commitment to this community. If I were to tackle this project, this vision alone, then you fail to capture the urgency, and your place as a humanitarian…may peace be yours.

Dave