Primary medical care in Bhutan.

I describe a systematic method of planning primary medical services for Bhutan in the light of the needs of the community and coping with current problems which include an infant mortality rate of 153. Objectives were defined which included decentralizing decision taking as much as possible by establishing relatively independent health units consisting of a team of three staff caring for about 10,000 people.I believe that the principle of adapting health services to meet the needs of the local community is equally valid in the United Kingdom.