Las reformas de salud neoliberales en América Latina

Una visión crítica a través de dos estudios de caso

Dados Bibliográficos

ID14965319
AutoresNuria Homedes (0000-0002-3322-3951, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, autor correspondente), Antonio Ugalde (0000-0002-2473-8435, The University of Texas at Austin)
Ano2005
Volume17
Fascículo3
Páginas210-220
Data de publicação2005-03-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoRevista Panamericana de Salud Pública (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1020-4989 • E-ISSN: 1680-5348
EditoraFapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1590/s1020-49892005000300012
PMID15826402
OpenAlexW2155928959
SCIELO_PIDS1020-49892005000300012
IdiomaES
Citações recebidas28
Referências citadas2

Neoliberal reforms have promoted privatization and decentralization as strategies to improve equity, efficiency, and the quality of health services. In this piece the impact of these reforms in Latin America is critically analyzed, and the impacts of privatization in Colombia and of decentralization in Mexico are detailed. These two cases show that after 10 years of privatization in Colombia and 20 years of decentralization in Mexico the reforms have had the opposite of the desired effect: They have not improved equity, have increased health expenditures, have not increased efficiency, and have not shown a positive impact on quality. Public health programs in Colombia have deteriorated, while decentralization in Mexico has had a very high cost, without achieving the proposed objectives. It is officially accepted that decentralization in Mexico has increased inequity, and that new reforms implemented in 2003 promote vertical programs. Health systems based on regulated competition are not the most suitable ones for Latin America. Latin American countries should improve their health systems in line with the principles stated in the Declaration of Alma Ata and according to their own national experiences

Decentralization · Declaration · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Equity (law · Latin Americans · Political science · Welfare economics · Healthcare Systems and Reforms · Public Health and Social Inequalities