The bureaucratic context of international health: a social scientist's view

Using primary care as an example, this paper examines how the bureaucratic structures and culture of the international health agencies have affected the planning and delivery of health programs. Many primary health care programs were ineffective, as research undertaken in Nepal has shown, because they reflected the perspective and needs of the health bureaucracies involved rather than those of the local villages receiving services. Similarly, work in other South and Southeast Asian countries reveals that primary health care was interpreted differently in different bureaucratic settings and adapted to bureaucratic needs, but not necessarily adapted to village cultures and conditions. Social scientists, who are trained to analyze and articulate different cultural contexts, can play a key role in helping international health bureaucracies become more sensitive to the rural village cultures they serve.