[The physician and primary health cares (author's transl)]

For many years in developing countries, rural or sub-urban populations are trying to set up some structures, through community effort, capable to provide to them elementary but indispensable health cares. Because of its fundamental commitment, medical and Public Health staff must participate to the improvement of such structures which are out of the local government health facilities, but have to be integrated in the National Health Plan. Therefore, simple but effective and locally adapted technology has to be set up. The physician must go beyond his conventional technical responsibility, and must supervise and stimulate the village health teams composed essentially of first-aid and sanitation workers and rural matrons, all of them selected by the concerned communities themselves.