Primary Health Care: An Evaluation of the Health Centers and Barangays in the Third District of Quezon City

Abstract

The 1978 Declaration of Alma-Ata defines 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 through their full participation at a cost that the community and country can afford to maintain at every stage of their development the spirit of self-reliance and self- determination”. It emphasizes the importance of preventive and promotive services in the community and serves as the first level of contact of citizens with the national health care system. It also places substantial responsibility on governments in the delivery of health care services, while also recognizing the pivotal role of the people in the planning and implementation of health measures. The goal of this research is to determine the situation of primary health care in Quezon City, in the Third District in particular. It aims to focus on the effectivity of the delivery of primary health care by health centers in certain barangays in the area. In the process, the data can be used to analyze the present situation of the national health care system and the health care trend in the country, particularly that of Quezon City, and identify the factors that cause its current condition.