Health at a Glance: Latin America and the Caribbean 2020
Health at a Glance: Latin America and the Caribbean 2020 presents key indicators on health and health systems in 33 Latin America and the Caribbean countries. This first Health at a Glance publication to cover the Latin America and the Caribbean region was prepared jointly by OECD and the World Bank. Analysis is based on the latest comparable data across almost 100 indicators including equity, health status, determinants of health, health care resources and utilisation, health expenditure and financing, and quality of care. The editorial discusses the main challenges for the region brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as managing the outbreak as well as mobilising adequate resources and using them efficiently to ensure an effective response to the epidemic. An initial chapter summarises the comparative performance of countries before the crisis, followed by a special chapter about addressing wasteful health spending that is either ineffective or does not lead to improvement in health outcomes so that to direct saved resources where they are urgently needed.
Also available in: Spanish
Medical technologies
The Sustainable Development Goal 5 calls for safe, effective, and appropriate medical technologies, which over the past century has profoundly influenced service delivery and health outcomes, and have been a dominant factor in the growth of health care expenditure (Lorenzoni et al., 2019[9]). Computed tomography (CT) scanners and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units help doctors diagnose a range of conditions by producing images of internal organs and structures of the body. MRI exams do not expose patients to ionizing radiation, unlike conventional radiography and CT scanning. Mammography is used to diagnose breast cancer, and radiation therapy units are used for cancer treatment and palliative care. This equipment is fundamental for an adequate response to diseases, but a balance must be stricken to ensure financial sustainability, as they are expensive technologies.
Also available in: Spanish
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