Dealing with border issues the primary healthcare way.
Border issues are commonly conceptualised as concerns about inequities in health care for people living near State boundaries or borders. This paper examines how border issues have been addressed in the implementation of primary healthcare at the community level. The paper focuses on the implementation of primary healthcare principles in two towns, Wallangarra in Queensland and Jennings in New South Wales. The primary healthcare approach employed by Stanthorpe Health Services addressed border issues by providing the residents of Wallangarra and Jennings with equitable access to health service provision. The structure of health service delivery, the funding differences in each State and the impact of State policies on the residents of these two towns are discussed. The paper demonstrates how application of primary healthcare principles has reduced the impact of some of the border issues faced by the residents of Wallangarra and Jennings.
Blackburn
K
K
Darling Downs Regional Health Authority, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.
Kemp
J E
JE
D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005380:Financing, Government; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D009517:New South Wales; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011793:Queensland; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000600:supply & distribution*