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Copyright of Medicina (Buenos Aires) is the property of Medicina (Buenos Aires) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Salud Pública is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective. To analyze sources of fiscal space for the health sector in Honduras, in the context of sectoral reform, with a commitment to achieving the target of public expenditure on health equivalent to 6% of gross domestic product (GDP). Methods. An analysis of baseline conditions and sources of fiscal space was conducted on the basis of a literature review and secondary data. The size of each source was estimated from official data, international statistics, and previous studies. In parallel to this study, political feasibility was analyzed and an online survey was administered to key actors. Results. Estimates of baseline conditions for economic growth show that other sources must be identified in order to generate new resources. The recent tax reform limits the political feasibility of creating new taxes, except for 'sin taxes', that could be used exclusively to fund health. Social protection reform paves the way to explore measures that could make resources available by improving efficiency in the sector. One limitation on public expenditure based on social security contributions is the ceiling on taxable income, notwithstanding acceleration in the formalization of the labor market. Conclusions. Honduras can advance towards achieving the target of public expenditure on health equivalent to 6% of GDP with the support of plans for sectoral reform, but its options are limited by the recent tax reform. The reform of social protection in health should consider additional available resources so as not to jeopardize implementation of the reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. In 2014, the Pan American Health Organization member countries signed the Strategy for Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage. In it, they committed to increasing public health expenditure until reaching the benchmark of 6% of gross domestic product (GDP). The objective of this paper is to determine, for each country in the Region, if they can reach this goal by economic growth alone and, if so, how long it would take. Methods. Using World Bank and World Health Organization data, elasticity of public health expenditure with regard to GDP was estimated for each country. Real economic growth and International Monetary Fund projections for 2016--2021 were used to project the expenditure series and determine the year each country would reach 6% of GDP. Results. Six countries have already reached the 6% goal. The Latin American and Caribbean countries that have achieved it are those that have single health systems, based on universal access and coverage. If current prioritization of public health expenditure is maintained, three countries could reach the goal in the next decade. Four more countries would reach it before mid-century, ten in the second half of the century, and one would have to wait until the next century. Finally, 13 countries would never reach the proposed goal. Conclusions. This analysis demonstrates the limitations of economic growth as a source of fiscal space. Other sources will need to be tapped, such as increased tax collection, specific health taxes, and greater efficiency in public spending, which will require social and political dialogue in the countries regarding their commitment to universal health principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To assess from a technical and political point of view the capacity of Bolivia to generate fiscal space for health that allows it to sustain progress and fulfill the commitment of a public health expenditure of 6% of gross domestic product. Methods. A review of the international evidence on fiscal space and its measurements was conducted. The technical analysis was developed through statistics and official reports from multiple national and international secondary sources. The political and social analysis was carried out through 20 interviews with representatives of organizations and institutions. Results. There is capacity to create fiscal space in health for Bolivia. There are three sources with the greatest technical and political feasibility: economic growth linked to the commitment to reprioritize public spending on health; improvements in the internal sources of revenue through the reduction of informal work; and reduction of tax expenditures. External financing and an increase of Social Security contributions are less feasible. Conclusions. Bolivia is able to achieve a public health spending of 6% of gross domestic product. The timing to achieve this goal depends on maintaining the prioritization of spending in the sector, with social and political consensus and within a framework of economic growth and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To characterize the process of health sector reform (HSR) in Peru (launched publicly in 2013), identifying the principal advances in its implementation and the pending challenges from the perspective of the participating actors. Methods. This study systematizes experiences through semi-structured interviews conducted with 21 key informants, including three ex-ministers of health, using the decade 2005-2015 as the time frame. Official databases were analyzed to verify variations in health indicators. Results. The proposed reform was based on expanding insurance coverage (predominantly public health insurance), following the structured pluralism model, with clear separation between the functions of delivery, financing, regulation, and governance. The main progress in HSR identified by this study involves: having transcended the poverty criterion for public insurance, strengthening investments in infrastructure and human resources, strengthening the National Health Authority with a focus on the rights of users, and reinforcing the public health role of the Ministry of Health. The main challenges involve providing non-poverty- related insurance coverage for the population, having sufficient specialized human resources, and reducing out-of-pocket expenditure. Conclusions. In the 10 years under analysis, HSR is a process that builds on the progress made in prior years; a process that consolidates an insurance model aimed at universal coverage based on public health insurance and that has led to a demonstrable increase in public spending and population coverage. However, progress has been limited mainly due to insufficient provision of specialized human resources and out-of-pocket expenditure, which remains very high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cadernos de Saude Publica is the property of Escola Nacional de Saude Publica Sergio Arouca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective. To assess the fiscal space for public health in Peru so as to attain the goal of raising health spending to 6% of gross domestic product, as agreed upon by member countries of the Pan American Health Organization in 2014. Methods. The main sources of fiscal space were identified by means of a thorough literature review. Technical feasibility was determined from statistics and national and international surveys and by reviewing various documents and official reports. Political feasibility was ascertained by studying policy guidelines. Results. The sources showing the greatest technical and political feasibility are economic growth, a broadening of the personal income tax base, and an increase in tobacco-specific taxes. Decreasing informality in the job market and increasing contributory coverage are considered to be less politically feasible, but there is ample technical space for these measures. Conclusions. There is enough fiscal space to allow for an increase in public health spending. Nevertheless, the 6% target will be reached only if the timeline is extended, tax revenues are increased, and informality in the job market is reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objetive. Document financial protection in health in Mexico up to 2014. Materials and methods. We update the measures of impoverishing and catastrophic health expenditure to 2014, to analyse shifts since the implementation of the System for Social Protection in Health and the Seguro Popular using time series data from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey. Results. Between 2004 and 2014 there has been a continued improvement in levels of financial protection. Excessive expenditure reached its lowest point: -2.0% in 2012 and 2.1% in 2014. Impoverishing expenditure dropped to 1.3% in 2004, compared to 0.5% in 2014, and catastrophic expenditures from 2.7% to 2.1%. Conclusions. The time series of data on financial protection show a clear pattern of improvement between 2000 and 2014 and level off and low levels in 2012 and 2014. Still, levels continue to be relatively high for households in the poorest quintile, in rural areas and with an elderly person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: getting to know the total cost of each type of bedsore (pressure sores), as it is a chronical injury commonly seen in patients with low mobility. Method: We realized a retrospective review of clinical records for the 2008 to 2011 period, corresponding to the plastic surgery activity records of the Paraplegic Hospital. Results: the ischial pressure sore is the most commonly treated (43.27%), and also shows the lowest total cost (€ 57,196.29). The highest cost of a bedsore due to its location corresponds to sacral pressure sores (40.41%, being the second most frequent type, with a total cost of € 112,012.96). Conclusions: Faced with these treatment costs, prevention campaigns are established in an attempt to prevent these high costs to the National Health System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cadernos de Saude Publica is the property of Escola Nacional de Saude Publica Sergio Arouca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The process of the health reform being experienced by Ecuador has had significant achievements because it occurs within the framework of a new Constitution of the Republic, which allowed the incorporation of historical social demands that arose from the criticism of neoliberalism in the restructure and modernization of the state. The backbone of the reform consists of three components: organization of a National Health System that overcomes the previous fragmentation and constitutes the Integral Public Health Network; development of policies to strengthen primary health care, articulating actions on the determinants of health, and finally, increasing funding to consolidate these changes. We conclude that challenges to the reform are related to the sustainability of the processes, financial sustainability of the system, greater activation of participatory mechanisms that enable citizen assessment of services and citizen empowerment regarding their right to health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health reform adopted in Colombia in 1993 was promoted by different agencies as the model to follow in matters of health policy. Following the guidelines of the Washington Consensus and the World Bank, the Government of Colombia, with the support of national political and economic elites, reorganized the management of health services based on market principles, dismantled the state system, increased finances of the sector, assigned the management of the system to the private sector, segmented the provision of services, and promoted interaction of actors in a competitive scheme of low regulation. After 20 years of implementation, the Colombian model shows serious flaws and is an object of controversy. The Government has weakened as the governing entity for health; private groups that manage the resources were established as strong centers of economic and political power; and violations of the right to health increased. Additionally, corruption and service cost overruns have put a strain on the sustainability of the system, and the state network is in danger of closing. Despite its loss of prestige at the internal level, various actors within and outside the country tend to keep the model based on contextual reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cadernos de Saude Publica is the property of Escola Nacional de Saude Publica Sergio Arouca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective. Evaluate the effect of the relationship among public health expenditures, income inequality, and the marginalization index on maternal and child mortality in Mexico, to determine the effect of these factors on health system performance from a technical efficiency perspective. Methods. An ecological study of 32 Mexican states. Correlations were estimated between maternal and infant mortality and public health expenditures in total per capita, federal per capita, and state per capita for the years 2000, 2005, and 2010 (Gini coefficient and marginalization index). Linear regressions were used to explore the association of these variables with health indicators in the state systems. Results. Negative correlations were observed for the marginalization index and Gini coefficient with regard to life expectancy at birth (-0.62 and -0.28 respectively). Furthermore, there was a positive correlation of 0.59 between the marginalization index and infant mortality (P <0.05). Multiple linear regression models revealed a negative effect of the marginalization index and Gini coefficient on health outcomes. Federal funding had a positive effect on system performance in terms of health indicators. Conclusions. Health system reform in Mexico has had a positive impact on the country's health indicators; federal financial investment seems to be effective in this regard. Social determinants have an important effect on health system performance, and analysis using multisectoral and multidisciplinary approaches are needed in addressing them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decades, total health expenditure (the) has increased, not only in developed economies but also in emerging ones. This paper is a descriptive and mixed ecological study. We took a sample of 192 countries grouped by income levels, and analyzed i) the patterns of public funding of the, ii) the share of public health expenditure in the general government budgets, and iii) the Globermann and Vining hypothesis about the existence of a negative correlation between the proportion of THE financed by the governments and THE as a percentage of the gdp. We found that governments most involved in the health sector showed, on average, a higher per capita THE. We also found that the relationship between public funding of THE and THE the as a percentage of GDP is negative and statistically significant only in rich OECD countries and the poor ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Identify priorities for health policy and systems research related to human resources in Latin America and Caribbean countries. Methods. An online survey was designed based on a search in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and LILACS that contributed previously prioritized research questions. Respondents, mainly researchers and decision-makers, were identified through various sources. The first round, directed at researchers, aimed at refining and adding research questions and prioritizing questions that researchers regarded as relevant or very relevant. The second round was directed at researchers and decision-makers. A question was considered a priority when 50% (or more) of respondents described it as "relevant" or "very relevant." Results. The first round included 20 questions on human resources and 33/66 researchers responded. Questions suggested by the researchers were added, resulting in 26 questions for the second round, which were sent to 121 researchers and decision-makers. Respondent representation by country was uniform in both rounds. In the second round, 14/26 (54%) questions were described as very relevant. Priority issues related to regulation of the market, integration of education and health care needs, and distribution of human resources. The response rate was 50% in the first round (33/66), and 34% in the second round (41/121). Conclusions. The results of this exercise provide a starting point for mobilization of resources for health policy and systems research. Identification of health systems research priorities is an effective and efficient strategy for reorienting political, financial, management, and social organization efforts for attaining universal health coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]