What is primary health care (PHC) as defined by WHO, and why is it central to health systems?

• A. PHC focuses on specialist hospital care and high-cost interventions
• B. PHC emphasizes essential health care accessible to all at first contact, with prevention, treatment, and links to secondary/tertiary care; central for equity and resilience
• C. PHC eliminates preventive care and promotion
• D. PHC is a new term not defined by WHO

Answer: (B)

PHC, as defined by WHO, is an approach to health care that centers on essential, evidence-based care that is accessible to everyone at their first point of contact, with a focus on prevention, treatment, and strong links to higher levels of care when needed. It promotes long-term, people- and community-centered services and integrates promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative actions. It also emphasizes intersectoral action, appropriate technology, and community participation, aiming to deliver universal health coverage and reduce inequities.

This framing makes PHC central to health systems because it builds a foundation that is affordable, equitable, and resilient. By ensuring care is reachable at the community level and continuously connected to more specialized services, health systems can prevent disease, manage it early, and reduce avoidable burdens on hospitals. The emphasis on equity and community involvement helps address social determinants of health and improves trust and uptake of services, which strengthens overall population health and system robustness.

It’s not about concentrating on high-cost specialist hospital care, nor about eliminating prevention. It’s a deliberate stance that prevention and promotion are integral, care is accessible at the first contact, and care pathways connect people to higher-level services when needed. It’s also a well-established WHO term, reaffirmed over time, not a brand-new concept.