The organization of primary health care within the social economic and cultural context

The purpose of this study was firstly to analyze the health care systems of various countries according to social, economic and cultural factors and secondly to examine more extensively the greek system of care with particular accent to the primary health care. More specifically, the main issues that are examined are its diachronic development and the way it is organized and operates, while the main problems of its action are extensively analyzed. In addition, it is generally ascertained that the Primary Health Care, as it is structured and functions in our country, is limited and it doesn't rise to its role regarding the beneficial improvement of the services of medical care. Finally, proposals for further improvement of current situation are presented while the creation of networks providing health care is accented. Thus, the primary health care will constitute as the cornerstone of the new reforming effort for the modernization and the improvement of provided health care services to the greek citizen.

Keywords: Primary health care, gene- ral/family practitioner, managed care, health care, networks, evaluation, social- economic and political model