Inter-Sectoral Coordination
Medical care forms only one part of health care. It comes into play when health deteriorates and disease develops.
Primary health care is concerned with health promotion, disease prevention and then management of disease if it occurs.
For achieving this, input from sectors other than health is of paramount importance.
Primary health care requires support of other sectors.
• Good nutritional status is associated with lower morbidity. Nutritional status can be improved through development in agriculture and home economics. Agriculture sector development can ensure sufficient amount of healthy food for the community
• Education sector: Women education and empowerment can improve their knowledge about nutrition within available resources.
• Plentiful availability of potable water can reduce morbidity and mortality, particularly among infants and children. Efforts to bring safe water within easy reach of rural and urban population will have positive effect on health of people.
• Similarly safe disposal of waste and excreta affects health.
• Housing that is adapted to local climatic conditions (healthful housing) has a positive effect on health.
• Road connectivity of remote villages will not only improve economic condition by providing easy market access but also enable health, sanitation and education teams to reach the rural areas. Transportation of patients to and from referral centres will be facilitated. Supply of drugs and biologicals to the health facilities can be regular.
• Mass media will improve health education reach the needy, e.g. preventing mosquito and fly breeding, importance of immunization. Also disaster warnings and instructions to safeguard the health during disaster will minimize the loss of health.
• Bringing about legislation affecting health and many other sectors affect health.
• Industries will provide jobs and hence better nutrition as also overall development of the area.
Hence national development planning should be done by multidisciplinary team including health administration.
Also at the local level, developing the deficient sector for improving health situation, can be achieved if only there is coordination between health sector and the concerned sector/s