Resumen

PEREZ LUGO, Jorge Ernesto; BENTACOURT, José de los Santos  y  SUAREZ VILLALOBOS, Pilar Katiuska. Decentralization and Health Systems in Latin America. Revista de Ciencias Sociales [online]. 2006, vol.12, n.1, pp.36-45. ISSN 1315-9518.

Health systems in some Latin American countries are presently undergoing important reforms directed towards elevating functional efficiency, efficacy and effectiveness. In this sense the object of this paper is to identify these reforms within the context of the political-administrative decentralization which is in process since the 1990s in Latin America. In this regard, a documentary review served as a base for the study, allowing for the identification of certain experiences directed towards improving the health services offered in certain countries within the region. There is evidence of positive advances in relation to decentralization of health services, but there are still many obstacles to overcome and advances that need consolidation in order to elevate and strengthen the functioning of health systems in Latin America.

Palabras clave : Health systems; political and administrative decentralization; Latin America; public health services.