DOI: 10.5176/2315-4330_WNC15.124
Authors: Michael. A. E. McIntosh
Abstract:
At the end of the 20th century, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank (WB) put forth two health care initiatives, utilizing vastly different approaches, to improve the health in developing countries. The WHO conceptually envisioned comprehensive primary health care (CPHC) initiative as a long-term holistic approach to improve health in developing countries, in response to the widespread dissatisfaction with failure of single specific-disease programs. The WB selective primary health (SPHC) care, a short-term approach to health, emphasized using the private sector to deliver health care services. The purpose of this study was to identify the recommendations set forth by these two international agencies the Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago governments incorporated into their national health agendas, 1978 to 2000. Content analysis of the WHA minutes indicated that the Barbados government incorporated health initiatives promoting nutrition, child survival, and improving potable water supply into their national health agenda. The Trinidad & Tobago government incorporated health initiatives promoting child survival and improving potable water supply into their national health agenda. What is needed is a more robust interpretation of national health agenda in developing countries, in order to reduce misunderstanding between agenda setting in international health and national health.
Keywords: Barbados; Trinidad & Tobago; comprehensive primary health care; selective primary health care; national health agenda
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