Resumen

PEREZ LUGO, Jorge Ernesto. Necessary Reform for Health Systems in Latin America. Gaceta Laboral [online]. 2007, vol.13, n.1, pp.43-57. ISSN 1315-8597.

Health systems in some Latin American countries are currently experiencing important reforms aimed at increasing their governability and achieving efficacy, efficiency and effectiveness of function. It has been observed that some processes and experiences directed toward improving the quality of medical assistance services and reaching equity in public health systems in Latin America show positive advances in terms of political-administrative decentralization and the participation of organized civil society in health; at the same time, an increase in conflicts and resistance to change by many sectors have been noted, complicating even further the process of reform and transformation so needed by health systems in Latin America.

Palabras clave : Health; reform; decentralization; participation; Latin America.