Introduction During the current decade, health care activities are being analyzed not only as a complex of measures that affect health but also as a national organizational structure with the mission to provide specific services. Managerial theory defines health care service as a whole of tangible and intangible benefits, which fulfills the requirements of the customer in the best way. During the Soviet era an extensive network of hospitals was created in Lithuania, and polyclinics with various specialists where responsible for the primary health care (PHC). After the fall of the totalitarian regime, the changes in the health care system where necessary in order to adjust the services to the new trends of social differentiation and new needs of the population. At the same time health care system becomes one of the many elements of the service system and functions according to the rules of the functioning of the consumer society (Geva 1996; Tse, Wilton 1988). The reform of the health care system in Lithuania started after regaining the independence. The reform was planed according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO); the aims of the reform where formulated, identifying the implementation of PHC (National Health Concept, adopted by the Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania, 1991) as a priority. The prioritization of PHC was done at the very beginning of the reform, but the real implementation of PHC can only be discussed since 1996, when... [to full text]