The christian medical commission and the development of the world health organization's primary health care approach

American Journal of Public Health

Volumn 94, Issue 11, 2004, Pages 1884-1893

  Litsios, Socrates ^a,b  

^a WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION   (Switzerland)

^b NONE   (Switzerland)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION; HUMAN; PRIMARY HEALTH CARE; PUBLIC HEALTH; PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE; REVIEW; WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION;

EID: 7244260446     PISSN: 00900036     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.94.11.1884     Document Type: Review

References (64)

1. Methodology of Planning an Integrated Health Programme for Rural Areas, Second Report of the Expert Committee on Public-Health Administration (Geneva: World Health Organization [WHO], 1954), WHO Technical Report Series 83.
2. WHO, "The Work of WHO 1966," Official Records No. 156, Geneva, 1967, vii.
3. WHO, "The Work of WHO 1967," Official Records No. 164, Geneva, 1967, vii.
4. S. Litsios, "A Programme for Research in the Organization and Strategy of Health Services" (paper presented at the WHO Director General's Conference, June 25, 1969). WHO Headquarters, Geneva.
5. Not suggested by the WHO Secretariat, this study resulted from a strong push by the Soviet representative to the board, Dr D. Venediktov. See S. Litsios, "The Long and Difficult Road to Alma-Ata: A Personal Reflection," International Journal of Health Services 32 (2002): 709-732.
6. WHO, "Organizational Study of the Executive Board on Methods of Promoting the Development of Basic Health Services" (Geneva: WHO, 1972), document EB49/WP/6, 19-20.
7. WHO, Executive Board 49th Session, document EB49/SR/14 Rev, Geneva, 1973, 218.
8. WHO, Official Records No. 206, Annex 11, Geneva, 1973, 105.
9. WHO, Official Records No. 206, Annex 11, 107.
10. WHO, Official Records No. 206, Annex 11, 108.
11. WHO, Official Records No. 206, Annex 11, 109.
12. Handbook of Resolutions and Decisions of the World Health Assembly and Executive Board, Volume 2, 1973-1984 (Geneva: WHO, 1985), 18.
13. Memorandum from P. Dorolle (outgoing WHO deputy director general) to all regional directors, July 25, 1973, WHO Archives, Fonds Records of the Central Registry, third generation of files, 1955-1983 (WHO.3), file N61/348/77.
14. Voyo Djukanovic and Edward P. Mach, eds., Alternative Approaches to Meeting Basic Health Needs of Populations in Developing Countries (Geneva: WHO, 1975); Kenneth W. Newell, ed., Health by the People (Geneva: WHO, 1975).
15. Voyo Djukanovic and Edward P. Mach, eds., Alternative Approaches to Meeting Basic Health Needs of Populations in Developing Countries (Geneva: WHO, 1975); Kenneth W. Newell, ed., Health by the People (Geneva: WHO, 1975).
16. J. C. McGilvray, The Quest for Health and Wholeness (Tübingen, Germany: German Institute for Medical Mission, 1981), xv; J. C. McGilvray, "The International and Ecumenical Dimensions of DIFAM's Contribution to the Healing Ministry of the Church," May 18, 1990, 5.
17. J. C. McGilvray, The Quest for Health and Wholeness (Tübingen, Germany: German Institute for Medical Mission, 1981), xv; J. C. McGilvray, "The International and Ecumenical Dimensions of DIFAM's Contribution to the Healing Ministry of the Church," May 18, 1990, 5.
18. Christian Medical Commission (CMC), First Meeting, Geneva, September 1968, 1.
19. CMC, First Meeting, 3.
20. CMC, First Meeting, 1.
21. McGilvray, Quest for Health, 9.
22. Quoted in McGilvray, Quest for Health, 13.
23. Ibid., 25.
24. Ibid., 25.
25. Ibid., 113.
26. Bryant later adapted this paper for publication as J. H. Bryant, "Principles of Justice as a Basis for Conceptualizing a Health Care System," International Journal of Health Services 7 (1977): 707-719.
27. CMC, Annual Report 1973 (Bossey, Switzerland: CMC, 1973), 32-33.
28. Ibid., 38-44.
29. CMC's letter of application for nongovernmental organization (NGO) relationship with WHO, February 3, 1969, WHO Archives, Fonds Records of the Central Registry, third generation of files, 1955-1983 (WHO.3), file N61/348/77.
30. CMC, 1970 Annual Meeting, Bossey, Switzerland, September 1970, 60.
31. CMC, First Meeting, 28.
32. "The Commission's Current Understanding of its Task" (paper presented at the annual meeting of the Christian Medical Commission, September 2-6, 1968).
33. McGilvray, Quest for Health, 57.
34. K.W. Newell, ed, Health by the People (Geneva: WHO, 1975), 103.
35. Dr J. Wray, written communication, July 28, 2003.
36. Newell invited Nugroho to join WHO, which he did in late 1974.
37. McGilvray, Quest for Health, 60.
38. Newell, Health by the People, 71.
39. Rajanikant Arole, Contact, occasional paper No. 10, August 1972; Dr Ed Brown, written communication, August 6, 2003.
40. Newell, Health by the People, 38.
41. Ibid, 41.
42. Carroll Behrhorst, Contact, occasional paper No. 19, February 1974. I could not determine when Newell learned of this project. By early 1975, as reported in a meeting of the Executive Committee of the CMC (January 17-18, 1975), WHO was "considering the possibility of setting up a training centre in Chimaltenango, as it feels that there is much to be learnt from this project." To the best of my knowledge this never materialized.
43. T. M. Brown and E. Fee, "Sidney Kark and John Cassel: Social Medicine Pioneers and South African Emigrés," American Journal of Public Health 92 (2002): 1744-1745.
44. Dr J. Stromberg, written communication, March 23, 2004. Stromberg, who was a social scientist in WHO and deeply involved in promoting community participation, was at the dinner with Kark.
45. S. L. Kark and J. Cassel, "The Pholela Health Centre: A Progress Report," South African Medical Journal 26 (1952): 101-104, 131-136; reprinted in American Journal of Public Health 92 (2002): 1743-1747.
46. S. L. Kark and J. Cassel, "The Pholela Health Centre: A Progress Report," South African Medical Journal 26 (1952): 101-104, 131-136; reprinted in American Journal of Public Health 92 (2002): 1743-1747.
47. The CMC had obtained an NGO relationship with WHO in 1970, but until 1974, that relationship had not developed beyond personal ties between staff members of the 2 organizations.
48. Dr Hakan Hellberg, written communication, July 22, 2003. Hellberg was associate director of the CMC from 1968 to 1972 and subsequently a senior WHO staff member. Dr Pierre Dorolle was Candau's deputy.
49. Dr Jerry Stromberg, written communication, November 4, 2003.
50. McGilvray letter from author's personal file. I remember being told at the time that Newell was the only WHO director present who reacted positively to these discussions.
51. Mrs Jane Newell, written communication, August 25, 2003.
52. Memorandum dated March 26, 1974, from Newell to Lambo on the subject of the CMC, WHO Archives, Fonds Records of the Central Registry, third generation of files, 1955-1983 (WHO.3), file N61/348/77.
53. The joint statement, dated May 27, 1974, took the form of a memorandum from Barrow and Newell to McGilvray and Mahler, WHO Archives, Fonds Records of the Central Registry, third generation of files, 1955-1983 (WHO.3), file N61/348/77.
54. Ibid., 5.
55. Letter dated July 22, 1974, from McGilvray to Mahler, WHO Archives, Fonds Records of the Central Registry, third generation of files, 1955-1983 (WHO.3), file N61/348/77.
56. CMC, Seventh Annual Meeting, Zurich, Switzerland, July 1974, 3-6.
57. Newell, Health by the People, xi.
58. Ibid., 192.
59. WHO, Handbook of Resolutions and Decisions of the World Health Assembly and Executive Board, Volume 2, 1973-1984.
60. WHO, "Documents for 55th Session of the EB," January 1975, document EB55/9.
61. Ibid., 4.
62. WHO, "Verbatim Record of 55th EB," document EB/55/SR/6, p. 5.
63. S. Litsios, My Reaction to Meeting With Dr Mahler & Dr Chang, ADG - 13 March 1974, memorandum to Newell dated March 18, 1974, in author's files.
64. S. Litsios, "Primary Health Care, WHO, and the NGO Community," Development 47 (2004): 57-63.