Primary health care vs. emergency medical assistance: a conceptual framework

Primary health care (PHC) and emergency medical assistance (EMA) are discussed as two fundamentally different strategies of delivering health care. PHC is conceptualized as part of overall development, while EMA is delivered in disaster or emergency, situations. The article contrasts the underlying paradigms, and the characteristics of care in PHC and EMA. It then analyzes the characteristics of PHC and EMA health services, their structure, management and support systems. In strategic aspects, it contrasts how managerial and financial sustainability are fundamentally different, and how the term accountability is used differently in development and disaster situations.