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Glite Dictionary
primary health care

primary health care

2 3.0
Basic health care you get first from a doctor or community clinic for everyday needs
  • noun
  • /ˈpraɪˌmɛri hɛlθ kɛr/
  • Specialized
translation icon : atención primaria
  • The community health center serves as the primary health care provider for many families in the area.
  • primary health care services
  • primary health care provider
  • primary health care clinic

All citizens have access to emergency care, Primary Health care and other higher levels of care.

Examples

  • Eighty-nine percent of SBHCs provide primary health care, and 72% have mental health professionals on staff (Strozer et al., 2010).

    Academic text (2011)

  • Access to primary health care is essential for maintaining the overall health of the population.

  • Great emphasis was also placed on health education and the creation of primary health care units.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Always speak with your primary health care provider before engaging in any form.

    Blog text (26)

  • There is a primary health care system that includes pharmacies in every village.

    Academic text (1992)

  • According to the neighborhood primary health care center, approximately 30,000 people were estimated to live there in 2017.

    Academic text (2018)

  • The majority of adult participants in both groups reported that their household's primary health care provider was a private doctor or clinic.

    Academic text (2016)

  • Always speak with your primary health care provider before engaging in any form of self-treatment.

    Blog text (7)

  • Nepal, too, has developed a national primary health care outreach strategy to ensure universal access to quality RH/FP services.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in primary health care delivery, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

    Academic text (2013)

Synonyms

health care
vsprimary health care
924 1.8

Services that help people stay well or get better

focuses on simple first contact services not the whole medical system
primary care
vsprimary health care
47 3.0

Basic medical help people get first from a family doctor

focuses on basic first contact at community clinics rather than referral
healthcare service
vsprimary health care
1 2.3

A service that helps people stay healthy and get better when sick

is basic first contact offered by clinics for individuals rather than broad services

How Specialized

hospital care
  • Specialized
5 2.1
primary care
47 3.0
primary health care
  • Specialized
2 3.0

Surface Forms

primary health care singular
primary health cares plural

Morphology

primary + health + care

The meaning is directly compositional: 'primary' (first/most important) + 'health' (well-being) + 'care' (medical attention) yields the idea of first-level/basic health services. This adjective+noun+noun combination follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can reasonably infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Primary health care comes from the idea that primary means 'first' and this is the first place people go for medical help, like a front door where a local doctor or clinic sees you. That's why it means the basic health services people meet first.