Delivery of primary health care in <name of country>

Plenary panel session, WONCA <name of region> Meeting, <name of location>, <date>

Name of panellist, qualifications, affiliations, contact details including email>

Material to be referenced for example from country’s census or national statistical databases, peer-reviewed papers etc. Use Vancouver-style reference system with superscript number immediately following punctuation. Do not use Microsoft word footnote/endnote feature for entering references.

Ideally 2000 words, maximum 2500.

Introduction

Basic demographics of country:

·  Population

·  Distribution (eg urban / rural / remote)

·  Socioeconomic breakdown

·  Ethnic groups

·  Other relevant characteristics eg religions, life expectancy

Structure primary health care

•  Ownership of practices

•  Coverage of PHC disciplines through health insurance? For whom?

Team approach to primary care

Disciplines working in primary health care in the community

•  Which disciplines Constitute PHC (family physicians, nurses, midwifes, allied health professionals)

•  Availability PHC disciplines and distribution in the country

Proportion of general practices integrated in PHC team

Describe the types of practices operating eg solo GP, group practice, working with practice assistant or practice nurse, or integrated practice with allied health workers and other services (eg laboratory and radiology investigative services), what are the majority and what is the trend?

Community based primary health care in <country>

Are multidisciplinary PHC teams organised around a defined population? If so: what % of GP practices?

Is multidisciplinary collaboration in primary health care ad-hoc structured around individual patients and their needs? If so: what % of GP practices?

Relation primary health care and other community services

Is there collaboration of primary health care professionals with other community services (social welfare)?

To what extent is this structured or ad hoc

Are there contacts with community leaders/patient representatives?

If so, do they have a formal role or is it ad hoc/informal?

Impact on patient care

Is there evidence of the impact community-based PHC teams have on patient care and population health?

What are the benefits?

Positive impact on PHC system, enablers of care

Summarise models of success

Is there a relation to PHC development (teaching, education, research)?

What barriers are encountered?

Present barriers that stand in the way of implementing Community-based PHC teams/centres

How teams support or impede response to community needs

Ways in which community based primary healthcare teams are a support or impediment to respond pro-actively to health needs in communities

Lessons for other countries

Summary of what works well and does not work well in community-based PHC teams in this country

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