Editorial Reviews

Review

"an indispensable source for students of health services and those concerned with poverty and health . . ." -- Latin American Research Review

Product Description

An estimated 130 million of the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean currently have no access to health care. This book, a joint publication with the Inter-American Foundation, is the culmination of a two-year study conducted by Dr. Carmelo Mesa-Lago, Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Latin American Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, and one of the most respected scholars in his field. The publication reviews the problems confronted by the health care systems in Latin America and the Caribbean during the 1980s, analyzes their current and potential capacity to provide adequate health protection for the poor, and offers recommendations for the reform of health care in the Region with a view toward increasing access for the poor.

In addition to the regional overview, in-depth analyses are included of public- and private-sector efforts to extend health care coverage in five countries-Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay-that were selected as representative of the diverse geographic, economic, health, and social conditions found in the Americas. This work marks a major contribution to the comparative study of health care systems.