[Primary health care contributes to global health]

Global health interventions often focus on specific diseases, thus forming vertical programmes. Studies show that vertical programmes perform poorly, which underlines the need for a horizontal basis: universal community-based primary health care, which improves health equity and outcomes. The diagonal approach supports an integrated patient-centered health-care system. The ''15% by 2015''-initiative suggests that vertical programmes invest 15% of their budgets in strengthening integrated primary health care. Strategies depend on local context.