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This paper is intended to determine the worth of unpaid health care in Uruguay and to characterize the caregivers (either paid or unpaid) who serve ill people. These objectives are accomplished mainly through the quantitative analysis of the data gathered by the first National Survey of Unpaid Health Care (2013) in Uruguay. This survey enables to become aware and set the worth of the unpaid health care times (replacement cost method) and to characterize the unpaid caregivers. This paper shows how the unpaid health care provided by homes accounts for a third of whole health care aggregate in the Gross Domestic Product. Women are the main caregivers, thus assuming the costs of losing their autonomy and seeing reduced the opportunities to enjoy their rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to disclose the response capacity of the Health Information Systems (HIS) in Colombia to support an inspection, surveillance and control model (ISC) driven towards the monitoring of the risks undermining the access, use and quality of the health services. This paper is based on a descriptive cross-sectional study under a risk management approach including a review of the regulations framework dealing with the threats to the effective enjoyment of the right to health (EERH) and the characteristics of the information reported by the actors in the system, which is required to carry out the said monitoring. The data supporting the monitoring to the health care processes and its impact on the population health are not enough to appropriately oversee the risks involved. Advantage should be taken from the changes currently taking place in the health system in order to rethink how the system performance is taken as monitored object. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the interactions between courts, experts and interest groups present in the sentence C 355/2006, through which abortion is partially decriminalized in Colombia. A detailed review of this paper allows to track the role that interest groups and social movements have in the mobilization of expert discourses in the high courts as a strategy to influence their decisions. The use of disciplines and fields of knowledge is articulated to the general structure of the sentence as literary technology that makes visible the role of the court as administrator of justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a methodology which examines the perceptions of stakeholders, including policy-makers, health care professionals and community members, this paper details a preliminary evaluation of the impact thus far of the Basic Integrated Health System (SIBASI) program on quality of health- care in El Salvador. The paper gives a brief overview of health systems reform in El Salvador, outlines the logic behind the SIBASI and presents theoretical perspectives on quality in health care. The study found that although the SIBASI was "good on paper" and had definite potential, it had not met with a great deal of success. Additionally, existing barriers in the health system in El Salvador- extreme poverty, ineffective governance, politicization, poor financing, and contention in the reform process- severely limited the success of the SIBASI program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a methodology which examines the perceptions of stakeholders, including policy-makers, health care professionals and community members, this paper details a preliminary evaluation of the impact thus far of the Basic Integrated Health System (SIBASI) program on quality of health- care in El Salvador. The paper gives a brief overview of health systems reform in El Salvador, outlines the logic behind the sibasi and presents theoretical perspectives on quality in health care. The study found that although the sibasi was "good on paper" and had definite potential, it had not met with a great deal of success. Additionally, existing barriers in the health system in El Salvador-extreme poverty, ineffective governance, politicization, poor financing, and contention in the reform process- severely limited the success of the SIBASI program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a methodology which examines the perceptions of stakeholders, including policy-makers, healthcare professionals and community members, this paper details a preliminary evaluation of the impact thus far of the Basic Integrated Health System (SIBASI) program on quality of healthcare in El Salvador. The paper gives a brief overview of health systems reform in El Salvador, outlines the logic behind the sibasi and presents theoretical perspectives on quality in healthcare. The study found that although the sibasi was "good on paper" and had definite potential, it had not met with a great deal of success. Additionally, existing barriers in the health system in El Salvador- extreme poverty, ineffective governance, politicization, poor financing, and contention in the reform process- severely limited the success of the Sibasi program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a methodology which examines the perceptions of stakeholders, including policy-makers, healthcare professionals and community members, this paper details a preliminary evaluation of the impact thus far of the Basic Integrated Health System (SIBASI) program on quality of healthcare in El Salvador. The paper gives a brief overview of health systems reform in El Salvador, outlines the logic behind the sibasi and presents theoretical perspectives on quality in healthcare. The study found that although the sibasi was "good on paper" and had definite potential, it had not met with a great deal of success. Additionally, existing barriers in the health system in El Salvador- extreme poverty, ineffective governance, politicization, poor financing, and contention in the reform process- severely limited the success of the SIBASI program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuban National System faces an important challenge, which is to consolidate the improvement programs of their institutions; consequently, there are considered key objectives like: fostering creativity and innovation; promoting continuous training; and ensuring the efficiency seeking, the application of best practices and permanent processes evaluation. These objectives are commonly assumed when organizations adopted managerial approaches based on quality, efficiency, effectiveness and service to clients. Hence, this paper shows the results of experiences in business process management, being conceived as a work setting of improvement in health institutions. To seek such goal, it is conducted a bibliography study of 70 methodological procedures, resulting in a new approach that is applied to five hospitals in a Cuban province in order to prove its efficacy for performance improvement, which is illustrated by progress being obtained in service and processes functioning with consequent extension to other hospital of the province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insurers (hmos) argue that there is no incentive to invest in prevention activities because members can easily move to another insurance company. At the same time freedom to choose hmos is a key accountability mechanism of the Colombian Health System because citizens can leave low-quality insurers and enroll in high-quality insurers. This paper quantifies the size of the rate of transfers between hmos in the country to shed light on this debate. This study used publicly available information on affiliation histories to the health system for the last 14 years (2001-2014) for a random sample of adults between 40 and 50 in five different capital cities. The rate of enrollee transfers within a continuous enrollment period between HMO was estimated. Results showed that 56% of enrollees had four or more enrollment periods; within the same enrollment period at least 54% of enrollees did not transfer between HMO; in a year less than 6% decided to transfer; there was a weak correlation between transfers and HMO service quality indicators. Results showed that the transfer rate is low but that the drop-out rate is high. People do not transfer but leaves the systems frequently, which suggest that this behavior is explained by labor market fluctuations. The transfer between HMO is not frequent and this suggests that as accountability mechanism is not working and thus needs to be redesigned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper proposed a conceptual framework to overcome the limitations the disciplinary approaches face when analysing the processes of implementation of health policies on the territory. Method and framework: With this purpose, it established links between the contributions from three fields: the studies on the performance on health care, the theoretical contributions provided by geography, and the research on public policies and implementation. Results: As a result of this approach, it is possible to capture phenomena and processes that, from each of the particular disciplinary perspectives, are opaque for the analysis: on one side, conceiving health attention as a point within a whole that compromises different notions of territory; on the other hand, recognise that at the moment of the implementation on the territory there is a process of recreation of the institutions, where they appear on scene and negotiate different regulation logics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article approaches the issue of philosophical perspectives of social justice and its relationship with some of the implications for health systems in Latin America and the world. Three philosophical perspectives of social justice from the radical liberal approach, egalitarian and redistributive liberal, and Marxist egalitarianism or reviewed. Society, their conceptions of health and public health approach. From the theoretical support these approaches, the relationship State are identified. Based on these concepts identify some implications for health systems in each of its representative aspects. The paper concludes with some reflections about the need to discuss the fundamental right to health as a fundamental element of universal health systems and assume a perspective as input for the design and analysis of health systems from the right to health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the theoretical and methodological approach that was elaborated for the analysis of the formulation of sexual and reproductive public policies for the youth in Colombia. This is the result of a doctoral thesis and its objective is to understand the configuration of the political aspects of the public policies that are thought for a specific population: young people. This analysis intends to go deeper than a traditional evaluation about the impact of a policy. This approach assumes it not only as a technical issue, but as a result for correlating forces in which processes, conflicts and confrontations between different actors are involved. The research uses the political contention as an analysis tool. The study starts with a critical revision of previous studies with similar goals, but performed in other locations, and then, it presents the contributions of the current investigation in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of dentistry has undergone a process of reflection relative to other academic disciplines. This paper proposes the implementation of a new political field in the oral health agenda in Colombia by means of exploring some social and health indicators. Furthermore, principles in collective oral health were addressed: oral health as a fundamental right, community capacity for assuming the monitoring of health and its determinants, and the participation of social, economic, and academic actors and the health care services. A protagonist role by society as well as greater collective consciousness on the part of professionals, decision-makers and the health sector in general are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to analyze the major changes in working conditions of human resources in health since Act 100 of 1993. This paper is divided in two parts: the first one refers to the working conditions of health professionals in Colombia based on secondary sources and the second shows the results of a survey of a sample of Medellin professionals. We found that after the implementation of the Act, working conditions have deteriorated, especially for those professionals not engaged directly by health agencies, it also has generated wage gaps between professionals from different fields and even within the same; and has increased the working-day hours and underemployment found it in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the public policies and components of the healthcare system affecting Colombian women with HIV/AIDS. Although there is national interest in controlling the HIV/ AIDS epidemic, current policies are not linked to specific lines of action and do not include a coherent gender approach that can guarantee comprehensive healthcare. HIV/AIDS policies are formulated within the frame of current economic policies and health reform implemented as part of Law 100 of 1993. These policies must be supported by economic plans that make it possible for the most vulnerable population to overcome the conditions of social inequity and by a healthcare system which guarantees complete access to appropriate healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of the countries in the world dedicate a high percentage of their budget to their Health Care System. In addition, this percentage grows year by year. For that reason, the Health Care evaluation and its repercussion in the improvement of the population health are very important. The aim of this paper is to determine the mean socioeconomic variables that influence the healthy life expectancy in the European countries. Taking 16 variables of social, economic, sanitary and environmental character, for the periods 2003 and 2004 in 22 European countries. The information of the 15 variables is transformed by a factorial analysis. The relation between the variables and the healthy life expectancy by means of a regression analysis. And a classification of the countries is made using the analysis cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]