ABSTRACT
During the 1950s-1970s health indicators improved substantially in many African countries as they invested heavily in public health services. Their governments enthusiastically endorsed the general international consensus on the relationships between health, development and poverty that culminated in the acceptance of the primary health care (PHC) strategy in 1978. Support for health services subsequently waned in response to economic crisis and changing international thinking. The focus on market solutions in the 1980s led to a view that healthcare was essentially a consumption good and that encouraging economic growth was the most effective way to improve health status.
