Biblioteca Virtual en Salud Enfermería

The 1978 Alma-Ata International Declaration (Kazakhstan – former Soviet Socialist state),(1) was a turning point, at least regarding the conception of what was understood by primary health care (PHC) and what it should contribute to respond to the needs and demands of the population. The Declaration considered it, not only possible, but was aimed at achieving health for every country by the year 2000. The approaches to achieve this, although praiseworthy and difficult for anyone to reject, led to its signing by the 134 countries and 67 international organizations present at the meeting – highlighting the important absence of the People’s Republic of China-, the intention was to stop financing rearmament policies and support for military conflicts and direct policies to promote independence, peace, détente and disarmament, to use those resources in the social and economic development of the people and invest on PHC, as essential element to achieve it. But beyond these proposals with an eminently political nature and always subject to the interests and developments of social, economic, and demographic events... it is important to highlight something that unfortunately has received enough importance and visibility, such as the express request for health professionals to commit to promoting PHC in every corner of the planet. Something that was to be key in the evolution of PHC, although with unequal enthusiasm, involvement, and commitment by the main professionals from the different disciplines that made up the PHC staff.