Srinagar: Voicing pressing concern over neglected primary health care, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today said that it is responsible for unstable and unbalanced health system in the state.
President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan in a statement said that as a result of abysmal primary health care, more often than not, patients end up going to tertiary care hospitals even for basic health care needs.
Primary health care is the foundation of any health care system that offers continuing, comprehensive and holistic health care for individuals and family in a community. There is no standardization in terms of process, quality and service in primary health care and is highly fragmented, he said.
International research shows that health systems based on primary care have better outcomes, greater patient satisfaction and lower overall costs than a hospital-based system. Various studies indicate that hospital admissions reduce by 40% and health care costs reduce by 30% if primary health care system is strong, he said.
WHO chief Dr Margaret Chan recently reaffirmed primary health care approach as the most efficient and cost effective way to organize a health system. The health system of the state is entirely tertiary care based with minimalistic primary care approach because of which rural poor suffer, he said, adding that Worldwide primary health care is run by family physicians that are non-existent in our health system.
It is important to understand that a basic MBBS doctor cannot provide quality primary care without proper training in family medicine. There is urgent need of introducing family medicine in MBBS and postgraduate courses to produce family physicians that will reinvent the neglected primary health care of the state, he added.
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