PRIMARY CARE PAEDIATRICS

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Primary Care (PC) Paediatrics is a discipline in medicine that deals comprehensively with the health and well-being of infants, children and adolescents within the context of their families, communities and cultures. PC paediatrics sees infants, children and adolescents as its main subject of care, respecting their autonomy and involving parents, guardians and / or custodians as integral part of the “unit of care”.

In the case of acute or chronic illness, the PC paediatrician uses all health resources at his disposal to ensure that his patient receives the optimal and most appropriate care for a particular problem in the context of his life circumstances. He will guide his patient through the complexities of the national health system, always keeping in mind that infants, children and adolescents must be protected from unnecessary screening, testing and medical treatment.

PC paediatricians act as seismographs of social change (like poverty and lack of educational opportunities) that will have a lasting impact on the health, well-being and the full developmental capabilities of infants, children and adolescents.  They will therefore engage on all social and political levels in child advocacy and educate the public about the requirements of children.