The Health Department understands Primary Health Care as "essential health care accessible to all individuals and families in the community through means acceptable to them, with their full participation and at an affordable cost to the community and the country".
The ASCIM collaborates closely with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare and the Mutual Hospital Aid (AHM – private insurance for indigenous people). Health care depends to a large extent on the stability of the AMH funds due to the economic vulnerability of the beneficiaries of the Health Department's services.
The Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare provides supplies and certain medications for public health activities such as family planning, sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, and supplies for laboratory diagnostics.