The frontline of the health system comprises the primary health care (PHC) system, the networks of frontline health workers, and other public- or private-sector services or institutions that serve as first-touch points with the public health and health care systems, as well as channels outside the formal health care infrastructure that help communities, households, and individual co-produce positive health outcomes. These frontline networks represent the first point of contact between individuals and the health system: they are the backbones of effective health systems, best positioned to offer first-level assessment, treatment, and health education. Functional frontline networks also connect families and communities to critical care and the broader health system
they operate most effectively as an integrated part of a multilayered PHC team, requiring a functional two-way referral system between frontlines and first-level referral facilities.