The author discusses the relationship between the government, the physician, and the community, particularly how this relationship influences the development of health services in Latin America. First the health problems of the individual community must be identified; here the professional judgment of the physician who sees the value of preventive health measures must be reconciled with the less-developed technical awareness of the consumer public that seeks direct medical attention. The health professional must, therefore, serve as teacher and leader to raise this level of awareness in the community and hence increase its potential for self-help. Health planning should be practice local as well as the national level; plans must aim to increase the public's ability to utilize available resources, i.e., to develop self-reliance. Inefficiencies in existing systems and services should be remedied by administrative changes. The trainin professionals should be geared to preparing them for work in rural communities. Finally, a decentralized organizational framework operating at the regional as well as the national level is needed to improve the distribution and delivery of health services. |