THE ROLE OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE (PHC) IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Introduction: The number of events, either natural or manmade, that can potentially cause disasters, has increased sharply in recent years. Life losses, along with the displacement of millions of people, and the corresponding economic cost, should mobilize international organizations to effectively address the situation, with part of this effort referring to the mobilization and cooperation of all stakeholders involved. An investigation, through literature review, ofObjective: the role of Primary Health Care in disaster management. This assignment is based on a descriptiveMaterial – Method: review. A literature search was performed on the PubMed, Sciencedirect, and Scopus databases focusing on the years 2015-2022. The following keywords were used: Primary health, community health, Home-Based Primary Care, disaster management. No reference was included to the provision of health care outside of primary health care structures. Results: The results can be grouped in two categories. In the first category, an analysis takes place regarding PHC actions in each stage of the disaster management cycle. In the second category, the conditions are listed that should be paid attention to, especially by the political leaders of each country. The World Health Organization,Conclusions: especially in the aftermath of the pandemic of the last two years, has reinstated the critical role of PHC as a cornerstone of solid health systems. At the same time, international organizations that specialize in disaster management focus on reducing risks, as a responsibility that is mostly assigned to communities working together with all organizations involved. Combinedly, it naturally follows that primary health care structures play a leading role in the management of mass events.