Primary Healthcare as a Global Healthcare Concept

Primary healthcare (PHC) has been in ascendance on the global healthcare agenda, and with good reason (Haggerty et al, 2013; Starfield et al., 2005; WHO, 2008). Yet the journey towards building PHC-focused health systems and policies has not been straightforward and there is considerable diversity across countries. Some, such as England, appear to be pursuing competition and patient choice combined with devolution of purchasing budgets to general practitioners (GPs) in order to heighten the focus on PHC; others have aimed for collaboration among the different parts of the healthcare system in order to improve service integration and, especially, targeting PHC as the place of first contact with the healthcare system and of patient care coordination.