[Health, power, and democracy. Notes for a primary care theory]

Health services are relentlessly deteriorating due to the persistent increase in their costs. This deterioration not only affects people's health. This service is directly linked to personal and family security and populations social equity expectatives. Thus, its failure inevitably leads to a gradual loss of State and public authorities legitimacy, threatening the stability of the democratic system. In the long run, it also affects the legitimacy of medical profession. To overcome this problem, considering the limited possibilities of a relatively poor country, a new health services model is proposed, based on a massive strengthening of primary care, organized in a way in which the community assumes an important part of the responsibility for the health of its members. To achieve this purpose the use of the concept of "empowerment" is proposed, practically applied through the "pedagogic investigation-action". As a result a noticeable increase in the general health level of the population is expected. At the same time, one of the serious threatens to the legitimacy of the Democratic State will be eliminated.