Health policies in Africa and Latin America: Adopting the primary care approach

Abstract

The central problem of this special issue of Social Science and Medicine is: why and how governments adopt (or fail to adopt) the primary care approach to health care delivery. The papers approach this problem from different perspectives, including the international arena, economic and social constraints, regime and institutional characteristics, and development projects. Recommendations for changing health policy are also reviewed, leading to the conclusion that more research into the process of policy-making is necessary.