Save family medicine to protect health of the third world

Abstract

We Indians feel proud that Sir Joseph Bhore in the ‘Bhore Committee 1946’ (Health Survey and Development Committee) report familiarized us for the first time with the concept of comprehensive health care that will integrate preventive and curative healthcare at all the administrative levels within the purview of primary health care well ahead of time in the history of public health in India.[2] After more than 30 years of this, ‘Health for All by 2000 (HFA2000)’ was pronounced by WHO in Alma Atta declaration to endorse the primary health care as the international concept without any reference to ideas of Sir Joseph Bhore.[3] With the ushering of new millennium improvement of health again reached centre stage by Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reinforce the success stories of HFA2000.[4,5] Recent documents from WHO also hail the concept of primary health care; ‘roadmap for action, 2014–2019’[6] planned to integrate equity, gender, human rights and social determinants into the work of WHO. Furthermore, WHO unveiled reforms towards achieving the ambitious ‘triple billion’ targets 2019 as WHO’s strategic 5‐year plan[7]: one billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage; one billion more people better protected from health emergencies; and one billion more people enjoying better health and well‐being.