Abstract
The growing concern and awareness of the existing crisis in the provision of health care in the United States has served as the stimulus for the production of this symposium issue of the ARCHIVES.Earlier we attempted to list what we consider the basic and essential requirements of "optimal health care." In the preceding pages our authors have diligently undertaken the task of probing the problem and discussing some parts of it.The basic problem is that of developing sufficient manpower and adequate facilities to provide all Americans with optimal health care, one of our basic human rights. We must utilize the manpower with maximum efficiency. We must satisfy the public desires of prompt care and compassion, without sacrificing expert knowledge and technical skill. This means that those persons on the health team providing the initial medical-health attention (the primary contact) need not be the same individuals who provide the