ABSTRACT
The future of good primary care is based on lessons from the past and must be built up from the situation as it exists at present. Although there have always been carers of first-contact to whom people could turn in times of need, the first mention of 'general practitioners' and 'family doctors' came in the popular literature of the mid-19th century. The early 1950s saw the establishment of the Academy of Family Practice in the USA and the Royal College of General Practitioners in the UK. In spite of all the happenings and advances, there are still problems and issues facing primary health care in all countries. A strong primary health-care sector staffed by sufficient numbers of well trained doctors and other health workers, and supported by equally well trained specialists with all their technical resources, is a model for the most effective, efficient and economic health-care service in both developed and developing countries.
