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Integrated health services
Health services that are managed and delivered in a way that ensures people receive a continuum of health 
promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, disease management, rehabilitation and palliative 
care services, at the different levels and sites of care within the health system, and according to their needs 
throughout their life course.
Internally displaced persons (IDPs)
People forced to flee their homes but who never cross an international border. These individuals seek 
safety anywhere they can find it – in nearby towns, schools, settlements, internal camps, even forests and 
fields. IDPs, which include people displaced by internal strife and natural disasters, are the largest group 
that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) assists. Unlike refugees, IDPs are not 
protected by international law or eligible to receive many types of aid because they are still legally under 
the protection of their own country.
Intersectoral action
The inclusion of several sectors, in addition to health, when designing and implementing public policies 
that seek to improve health care and quality of life.

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A WHO guide for planners, implementers and managers
People-centred health services
Health services designed to incorporate the perspectives of individuals, families and communities. They 
are based on the conviction that individuals, families and communities are participants in – as well as 
beneficiaries of – trusted health systems that respond to their needs and preferences in humane and 
holistic ways. People-centred care requires that people have the education and support they need to make 
decisions and participate in their own care. It is organized around the health needs and expectations of 
people rather than diseases.
Refugee
Someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence. A 
refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or 
membership of a particular social group. Most likely, the person cannot return home or is afraid to. War and 
ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries.