Primary Health Care In Canada

Introduction
Primary health care (PHC) refers to "essential health care" that is based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology, which make universal health care universally accessible to individuals and families in a community. It is through their full participation and at a cost that the community and the country can afford to maintain at every stage of their development in the spirit of self-reliance and self-determination". In other words, PHC is an approach to health beyond the traditional health care system that focuses on health equity-producing social policy. PHC includes all areas that play a role in health, such as access to health services, environment

The origins of public health in this country can be traced back to traditional Aboriginal teachings that highlight the importance of maintaining and restoring balanced health through social and environmental sensitivity. These long-standing traditions were jeopardized following the arrival of European settlers who brought new diseases and a way of life that led to a serious deterioration in the lives of Canadas Indigenous Peoples. The threat of infectious diseases began to impact Indigenous peoples in North America in the early seventeenth century, with the first historically recorded outbreaks occurring between 1734 and 1741. In 1867, Britain established the British North America Act (became the Constitution Act in 1982). The Act was used to create the Canadian Confederation and enforced the division of power between the provinces and the federal government. Within Sections 91 and 92, the newly created Dominion of Canada was responsible for the creation of quarantine and marine hospitals and the provinces were responsible for the establishment, maintenance and management of

• Community participation – in order to make the fullest use of local, national and other available resources. Community participation was considered sustainable due to its grass roots nature and emphasis on self-sufficiency, as opposed to targeted (or vertical) approaches dependent on international development assistance.
• Health workforce development – comprehensive health care relies on adequate number and distribution of trained physicians, nurses, allied health professions, community health workers and others working as a health team and supported at the local and referral levels.
• Use of appropriate technology – medical technology should be provided that is accessible, affordable, feasible and culturally acceptable to the community. Examples of appropriate technology include refrigerators for vaccine cold storage. Less appropriate could include, in many settings, body scanners or heart-lung machines, which benefit only a small minority concentrated in urban areas. They are generally not accessible to the poor, but draw a large share of