Speech Transcript - Return to Alma-Ata

Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization - delivered 15 September 2008

30 years ago, the Declaration of Alma-Ata articulated primary health care as a set of guiding values for health
development, a set of principles for the organization of health services, and a range of approaches for addressing
priority health needs and the fundamental determinants of health.

The ambition, which launched the health for all movement, was bold. It assumed that enlightened policy could raise
the level of health in deprived populations and thus drive overall development. The declaration broadened the
medical model to include social and economic factors, and acknowledged that activities in many sectors, including
civil society organizations, shaped the prospects for improved health. Fairness in access to care and efficiency in
service delivery were overarching goals...