ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Primary health care (PHC) renewal processes are currently ongoing in South America (SA), but their characteristics have not been systematically described. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to describe and contrast the PHC approaches being implemented in SA to provide knowledge of current conceptions, models and challenges. METHODS: This multiple case study used a qualitative approach with technical visits to health ministries in order to apply key-informant interviews of 129 PHC national policy makers and 53 local managers, as well as field observation of 57 selected PHC providers and document analysis, using a common matrix for data collection and analysis. PHC approaches were analysed by triangulating sources using the following categories: PHC philosophy and conception, service provision organization, intersectoral collaboration and social participation. RESULTS: Primary health care models were identified in association with existing health system types and the dynamics of PHC renewal in each country. A neo-selective model was found in three countries where coverage is segmented by private and public regimes; here, individual and collective care are separated. A comprehensive approach similar to the Alma-Ata model was found in seven countries where the public sector predominates and individual, family and community care are coordinated under the responsibility of the same health care team. CONCLUSIONS: The process of implementing a renewed PHC approach is affected by how health systems are funded and organized. Both models face many obstacles. In addition, care system organization, intersectoral coordination and social participation are weak in most of the countries.
Subject(s)
Health Care Reform/organization & administration , Health Policy , Primary Health Care/organization & administration , Social Participation , Developing Countries , Humans , South AmericaABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of comprehensive primary health care (CPHC) development and implementation in Suriname in peer-reviewed literature. METHODS: Building on work funded by the Teasdale-Corti Global Health Research Partnership Program/People's Health Movement, the authors searched MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and POPLINE for articles focused on CPHC within the Surinamese context. Two authors independently reviewed abstracts and then jointly reviewed the selected abstracts. The final selection was completed using a data extraction form. RESULTS: The initial search resulted in 1 556 abstracts. The initial review identified 58 articles. Only three of the 58 articles met the inclusion criteria for the final review. The three selected articles provided partial overviews of CPHC in Suriname and examples of its implementation, with a focus on the service delivery network in the interior of the country, which was designed to improve rural access to basic health care services by training community members as service providers. They also included examples of how preparations for health reform in Suriname in the late 1990s and early 2000s, influenced by global neoliberal reforms, led to expectations that disparities in health status, design of health system components, and service provision related to differences in power and historical context (e.g., the influence of medical professionals, political parties/ethnic groups, and wealthier populations concentrated in urban areas) would be addressed. CONCLUSIONS: Given the focus on primary health care in the Americas and the notable developments that have occurred in Surinamese health policy and health care, particularly in health care reform, the paucity of published research on CPHC in Suriname was an unexpected finding that may be partly due to prioritizing research on disease control rather than health policy and systems research. The limited amount of scientific literature on this topic 1) prevents clear understanding of CPHC development and implementation in Suriname and 2) underscores the need to strengthen the national health research system to better inform policies for moving the country toward universal health access and coverage to improve the health of all of its citizens.
Subject(s)
Primary Health Care/organization & administration , Universal Health Insurance/organization & administration , Comprehensive Health Care/organization & administration , Comprehensive Health Care/trends , Health Care Reform , Health Plan Implementation , Health Policy , Health Services Accessibility , Humans , Organizations , Primary Health Care/trends , Public Health Administration , Social Security/organization & administration , Suriname , Universal Health Insurance/trendsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of comprehensive primary health care (CPHC) development and implementation in Suriname in peer-reviewed literature. METHODS: Building on work funded by the Teasdale-Corti Global Health Research Partnership Program/People's Health Movement, the authors searched MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and POPLINE for articles focused on CPHC within the Surinamese context. Two authors independently reviewed abstracts and then jointly reviewed the selected abstracts. The final selection was completed using a data extraction form. RESULTS: The initial search resulted in 1 556 abstracts. The initial review identified 58 articles. Only three of the 58 articles met the inclusion criteria for the final review. The three selected articles provided partial overviews of CPHC in Suriname and examples of its implementation, with a focus on the service delivery network in the interior of the country, which was designed to improve rural access to basic health care services by training community members as service providers. They also included examples of how preparations for health reform in Suriname in the late 1990s and early 2000s, influenced by global neoliberal reforms, led to expectations that disparities in health status, design of health system components, and service provision related to differences in power and historical context (e.g., the influence of medical professionals, political parties/ethnic groups, and wealthier populations concentrated in urban areas) would be addressed. CONCLUSIONS: Given the focus on primary health care in the Americas and the notable developments that have occurred in Surinamese health policy and health care, particularly in health care reform, the paucity of published research on CPHC in Suriname was an unexpected finding that may be partly due to prioritizing research on disease control rather than health policy and systems research. The limited amount of scientific literature on this topic 1) prevents clear understanding of CPHC development and implementation in Suriname and 2) underscores the need to strengthen the national health research system to better inform policies for moving the country toward universal health access and coverage to improve the health of all of its citizens.
OBJETIVO: Proporcionar una visión de conjunto de la implantación de la atención primaria de salud integral en Suriname en la bibliografía arbitrada. MÉTODOS: Aprovechando el trabajo financiado por el Programa de Alianza de Investigación en Salud Mundial Teasdale-Corti/Movimiento de Salud de los Pueblos, los autores efectuaron búsquedas en MEDLINE, la Biblioteca Cochrane y POPLINE de artículos que se centraran en la atención primaria de salud integral en el contexto surinamés. Dos autores analizaron los resúmenes independientemente y a continuación examinaron conjuntamente los resúmenes seleccionados. La selección final se completó mediante el empleo de un formulario de extracción de datos. RESULTADOS: La búsqueda inicial obtuvo como resultado 1 556 resúmenes. El análisis inicial seleccionó 58 artículos. Solo tres de estos 58 artículos satisficieron los criterios de inclusión en el análisis final. Los tres artículos seleccionados proporcionaban un panorama parcial de la atención primaria de salud integral en Suriname y ejemplos de su implantación, se centraban especialmente en la red de prestación de servicios del interior del país, diseñada para mejorar el acceso a los servicios de atención básica de salud en el entorno rural mediante la capacitación de los miembros de la comunidad como proveedores de servicios. También incluían ejemplos de cómo los preparativos para la reforma sanitaria de Suriname a fines de los años noventa y principios de siglo XXI, influidos por las reformas neoliberales a escala mundial, generaron expectativas de que se abordarían las disparidades en el estado sanitario, el diseño de los componentes del sistema sanitario, y la prestación de servicios de atención de salud relacionadas con diferencias de poder y contexto histórico (por ejemplo, la influencia de los profesionales de la medicina, partidos políticos y grupos étnicos, y las poblaciones más ricas concentradas en las zonas urbanas). CONCLUSIONES: Dada la importancia concedida a la atención primaria de salud en la Región de las Américas y el notable desarrollo experimentado por la política de salud y la atención de salud de Suriname, particularmente en la reforma del sector sanitario, la escasa investigación publicada sobre la atención primaria de salud integral en Suriname fue un hallazgo inesperado, que en parte puede ser debido a que se ha priorizado más la investigación sobre el control de enfermedades que la investigación sobre políticas y sistemas de salud. La limitada cantidad de bibliografía científica sobre este tema 1) impide una comprensión clara del desarrollo y la implantación de la atención primaria de salud integral en Suriname y 2) destaca la necesidad de fortalecer el sistema nacional de investigación en salud con objeto de fundamentar mejor las políticas que hagan avanzar al país hacia el acceso y la cobertura universales de salud para una mejora de la salud de todos sus ciudadanos.
