Medical genetics in primary health care

Medical genetics has been at the forefront of developments in medicine for the last 50 years. This progress has mainly benefited industrialized countries. Due to continuing improvements in the socio-economic and health indices in developing nations more than half of them have now reached a stage where it has become relevant for them to initiate and develop medical genetic services. The WHO foresaw this eventuality in 1985 and further recognised the need to develop community based medical genetic services that are relevant to and can be incorporated into primary health care. The need for primary health care based medical genetic services has subsequently also been accepted in industrialized nations. This paper summarises those primary health care based interventions that can be undertaken to ensure the control of genetic disorders and birth defects.