Patient Responses on Quality of Care and Satisfaction with Staff After Integrated HIV Care in South African Primary Health Care Clinics

The conservative government that came to power in Sweden in 2006 has initiated major market-oriented reforms in the health sector. Its first health care policy bill changed the health legislation to make it possible to sell/transfer public hospitals to commercial providers while maintaining public funding. Far-reaching market-oriented primary health care reforms are also initiated, for example in Stockholm County. They are typically presented as “free choice models” in which “the money follows the patient.” The actual and likely effects of these reforms in terms of access and quality of care are discussed in this article. One main finding is that existing social inequities in geographic access to care not only are reinforced but also become very difficult to change by democratic political decisions. Furthermore, dynamic market forces will gradually reduce the quality of care in low-income areas while both access and quality of care will be even better in high-income areas. Public funds are thus transferred from people living in low-income areas to people living in high-income areas, even though the need for good health services is much greater in the low-income areas. Certain policy options for reversing the inverse law of care are also presented.

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Rao et al.'s “which doctor for primary health care? Quality of care and non-physician clinicians in India 84 (2013) 30–34”

Social Science & Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.11.044 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 102 ◽

pp. 201-202 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sumegha Asthana ◽

Rajib Dasgupta

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Quality Of Care ◽

Primary Health Care ◽

Health Care Quality ◽

Care Quality ◽

Primary Health

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Primary Health Care and Aging

Californian Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.32398/cjhp.v2i3.884 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 99-108

Author(s):

Martha Pelaez ◽

Marilyn Rice

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Quality Of Care ◽

Primary Health Care ◽

Older People ◽

Older Persons ◽

Interdisciplinary Teams ◽

Healthy Ageing ◽

Policy Statement ◽

Primary Health

From 21-25 February 2000, in San Jose, Costa Rica, a WHO Consultative Group was held on the topic of Primary Health Care for Older Persons, with representatives from 13 countries from around the world, as well as Headquarters and Regional offices of WHO and the private sector. In the policy statement that emerged from the meeting four basic principles were highlighted: universal accessibility and coverage on the basis of need, community and individual involvement, intersectoral action for health, and appropriate use of cost effective technologies in relation to the available resources. Three complementary integration functions are mentioned: functional with an integrated approach to the health needs of individuals over their life course taking precedence over episodic management of disease; organizational, with a focus on how health centers should function with interdisciplinary teams; and educational which addresses the knowledge and skills and attitudes needed by health professionals that will facilitate communication, networking, advocacy and mediation of resources. The proceedings go on to outline the objectives to be included in national plans on health of older people, as well as the extended benefits and outcomes to be expected from PHC strategies for older people. In promoting quality of care for older persons, positive and negative factors are mentioned, as are strategies to: stimulate interest in geriatric care, motivate general practitioners to focus on the care of elders, encourage teamwork among PHC staff, and encourage multi-sectoral collaboration in promoting the health of older persons. An example is provided of healthy ageing from Canada. The recommendations include defining and measuring an ageing friendly health center (with specific indicators for the latter), defining the role of the PHC team in promoting healthy ageing, characteristics that programs should have to promote “age friendly” services in the primary care setting, and outcome indicators for quality of care of elders at the PHC level.

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