Primacy of Primary Healthcare: Cuban Experience and Lessons for India

There is an ongoing debate in progress as to the relative merits of a primary/preventive focussed healthcare system versus a healthcare system where the major emphasis is on developing tertiary healthcare needs, with primary and preventive healthcare relegated into background. Each system has its fervent advocates. While we can accept that one model of healthcare may not be suited for all the countries with their differing needs and vastly different sociocultural contexts, it would be instructive to learn a few lessons from one country which has made excellent strides in its healthcare statistics, but with almost an exclusive emphasis on primary and preventive healthcare.