Global primary care: what it is, what it isn’t, and why it matters to us all

A distinct field of enquiry is crystallising at the confluence of global health and primary care, with roots in the audacious vision set out in the Declaration of Alma-Ata in 1978. Primary care is a model of care that provides first-contact, accessible, continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, integrated, and people-centred services in the community setting.1 The Declaration of Alma-Ata placed primary care services at the very heart of the health system. Primary care providers are generally trained to deliver biopsychosocial whole-person care, to manage people presenting with undifferentiated symptoms, and—when appropriately equipped—to manage the vast majority of health problems within their local community.