The Alma-Ata Declaration, adopted at the International Conference on Primary Health Care in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan in 1978, outlined the key components of primary health care. These components include:
1. Equity: The declaration emphasized the need for health care to be accessible to all individuals, regardless of their socio-economic status or geographic location. It aimed to reduce health disparities and ensure equal opportunities for health.
2. Community Participation: The declaration recognized the importance of involving communities in decision-making processes related to their health. It emphasized the need for active community participation in planning, implementation, and evaluation of health programs.
3. Intersectoral Collaboration: The declaration highlighted the significance of collaboration between different sectors, such as health, education, agriculture, and social welfare, to address the broader determinants of health. It called for a comprehensive approach that goes beyond the traditional health sector.
4. Primary Health Care: The declaration emphasized the central role of primary health care in achieving health for all. It defined primary health care as essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound, and socially acceptable methods and technology, made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community.
5. Health Promotion and Prevention: The declaration emphasized the importance of health promotion and disease prevention as integral components of primary health care. It recognized the need to address the underlying causes of ill-health and promote healthy lifestyles.
6. Essential Health Care: The declaration called for the provision of essential health care services, including promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative services, to meet the health needs of individuals and communities.
7. Training and Education: The declaration highlighted the need for training and education of health workers to ensure the delivery of effective primary health care services. It emphasized the importance of a comprehensive approach to health education, including health promotion and disease prevention.
8. Appropriate Technology: The declaration emphasized the use of appropriate technology that is affordable, culturally acceptable, and socially relevant. It called for the development and utilization of technology that is suitable for primary health care settings.
9. Supportive Policies: The declaration stressed the importance of supportive policies at the national and international levels to enable the implementation of primary health care. It called for political commitment, adequate funding, and supportive legislation to ensure the success of primary health care programs.
Overall, the Alma-Ata Declaration aimed to promote a comprehensive, community-based approach to health care that addresses the social, economic, and environmental determinants of health. It emphasized the importance of primary health care as a means to achieve health for all.