Primary Health Care in Action

ASSIGNMENT 2
Written Assessment

SATTAM BIN ZAID

Student ID 17845869

Question 1

Social Determinants of Health are factors in an individuals life that come into play because
of the society and the environment around which an individual spends most of his life.
Although a persons health is most affected by his personal lifestyle choices such as food
habits, physical activity, use of sedatives, etc., the social and community influences play the
second most important role (Dahlgren G, 1991). Major determinants identified include Health
Services and Resources, Health Practices and Coping Skills, Healthy Child Development,
Social Support Networks, Employment and Working Conditions, Social Environments,
Physical Environments, etc. (Clendon, 2015). Health Services and Resources is the term
given to the resources available to individuals through public sector expenditure. Various
countries spend different percentages of their GDP on development and maintenance of
health resources, such as medical practitioners, nursing homes, health clinics, diagnostic
centres, etc. In many cases efficient use of resources ensures better services. Social Support
Networks, on the other hand, refer to the support one gets from the community in the form of
assistance in employment, healthcare, emotional support, etc. Closely knit communities
globally demonstrate healthier members irrespective of their financial conditions. Social
inclusion, it is observed, keeps people satisfied with their lives and the incidence of diseases
specially the mental ones is very low. In case of Employment and Working Conditions,
researches show how better and equitable treatment at workplaces keeps one healthy. PHC is
heavily dependent on the SDH necessitating adequate public and private resources to be spent
making them better.

Question 2

Social determinants of health (SDH) has been identified as major factors in shaping the
overall health of the members of a community. Detailed studies of various groups of people
all over of the world have revealed startling correlations between hostile social conditions
and adverse health indicators. It has been documented that Aboriginal women face as much
as six times higher risk of family violence as compared to other Australians. Searching for the
reasons for this sad observation has exposed at least three major Social Determinants of
Health common in the Aboriginal communities.
First Social determinant of health was the excessive consumption of alcohol. It was observed
that alcohol addiction was instrumental in turning incidents of domestic arguments into
violent disputes often culminating in the murder of the weaker member. The second
determinant was identified as the prevailing culture of silence in the society. The cultural
taboo against speaking about the dead, which in this case are the victims of family violence,
inhibits the investigation and provision of justice to the aggrieved. The victims are not to be
discussed about and so chances of similar violent events happening again remain high. The
third determinant was the absence of appropriate Social Support Networks among the
communities. Members of the community have started to create social support networks to
help males grow and develop their understanding of family violence changing their
behaviour. Similar networks were also needed helping females to be more assertive and
organised in order to report such incidents to authorities.

Question 3

Primary Health Care (PHC) is defined by WHO as the necessary health care that is not only
acceptable socially but is also based on scientifically sound principles using a technology that
is available to individuals and groups at an affordable price. (www.who.int, 1978) There are
six principles of PHC. First is Equitable access to health care which focuses on accessibility
of appropriate health care to all irrespective of their financial position. Second is Appropriate
technology whereby stress is placed on appropriate technology provided by the right people
cost effectively. (Besner, 2004) Third principle of PHC, Health promotion, focuses on
disease prevention by using education to make people healthier. Fourth is Cultural
sensitivity which emphasises on being sensitive to the patients culture and lifestyle. Fifth is
Inter-sectoral collaboration which involves all sectors to communicate in order to improve
health. Sixth Principle is Community participation that aims to empower people to partner
with other stakeholders. (Anne McMurray, 2010)
As observed in the video (www.sbs.com.au, 2015), communities were handling the issue of
family violence using identifed Principles of PHC. Community activists endeavoured to
remove barriers to equitable access to healthcare by giving voice and visibility to the victims
of family violence. The concerned activists follow the principle of Cultural Sensitivity while
helping the communities to decrease the incidences of violence. The PHC principle of Health
Promotion is followed when the male members of the Indigenous people are educated on the
issue of family violence and the female members are educated on the need to speak up.
(Dahlgren, 1991)

POSTER

REFERENCES
(1978). Retrieved April 7, 2016, from www.who.int:
http://www.who.int/publications/almaata_declaration_en.pdf
(2015, july 28). Retrieved April 7, 2016, from www.sbs.com.au:
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/thefeed/story/violence-getting-worse-indigenouswomen-speak-about-family-violence
Anne McMurray, J. C. (2010). Community Health and Wellness: Primary Health Care in
Practice. Elsevier Australia.
Besner, J. (2004, October). Nurses role in advancing primary health care: a call to action.
Primary Health Care Research and Development Vol 5 Issue 4, pp. pp 351-358.
Clendon, M. (2015). Community Health and Wellness: Primary Health Care in Practice.
Elsevier Australia.
Dahlgren, G. a. (1991). Policies and Strategies to promote Social Equity in Health.
Stockholm, Sweden: Institute for Futures Studies.