The definition of health service according to Lavey and Loomba is every good effort conducted alone or together in an organization to improve and maintain health, prevent disease, cure disease and restore health directed to individuals, groups and communities.
Health service can also be called as an institutionalized health care efforts based on social functions in the field of health care for individuals and families. The social function means more emphasis on humanitarianism and does not take advantage commercially.
Basic health service implementation can be primary individual health effort that utilizes basic health science and technology directed to individuals. The organizers of primary Individual Health Efforts are the government, public and private that are realized through various forms of professional service and can be implemented in the home, workplace and health facilities.
In general, health service can be distinguished on medical service and public health service. Both of these services have different characteristics. Medical service is aimed more at the efforts of treatment (curative) disease and recovery (rehabilitative) health with the main target is the individual who come to the health services.
Public health service is generally held together in an organization even it should include the potential community with the whole society as the main target. Health effort is aimed more at the suppression of promotion efforts (promotion) and prevention (preventive). The health efforts must be comprehensive, integrated, sustainable, tiered, professional and quality and not contrary to the rules of scientific, socio-cultural norms, moral and professional ethics.
