ABSTRACT
Health plays a central role in human development. In recognition of this fact, the United Nations adopted the Millennium Declaration, with eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), three of which are directly health related. Primary health care (PHC) is the cornerstone of the health systems of many countries in Africa and elsewhere. The nature of services provided through PHC, in accordance with the WHO and UNICEF definition is:
Essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost that community and country can afford to maintain at every stage of their development in the spirit of selfdetermination. (1978, Article VI)
