Latin America’s health systems brace for a battering

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Fragmentation, red tape and corruption mean the region's health systems are not ready

disappointments awaits residents of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, when illness strikes. Those who report symptoms of covid-19 to the health-care hotline get appointments scheduled for several weeks later, by which time they will probably have recovered or died. With ambulance services overwhelmed, stricken people arrive at hospitals in pickup trucks, only to find there are no empty beds. When somebody dies at home, the corpse joins a long waiting list for removal.

In general Latin American health systems, though still smaller and less well managed than those of Europe, have matured greatly. Colombia, which introduced universal, taxpayer-financed health care in 1993, has ten times the number of intensive-care beds it did before then. This year Peru’s health budget as a share of—3.3%—is two-thirds higher than in 2015. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, public and private health spending is about 8.5% of, a club of mainly rich countries.

Other countries have responded more sluggishly. In Brazil governors and mayors have stopped commerce even as the country’s president underplays the crisis . Mexico, keen to protect the incomes of informal workers, merely exhorts its citizens to stay home. Nicaragua is in a class of its own. Schools remain open. European sports channels are in talks to broadcast games from the country’s football league, which plays on.

But such urgency will not compensate for long-standing failings. Several countries, including Mexico, Argentina and Ecuador, have fragmented public-health systems, which leads to inefficiency and confusion among patients. Mexico, for instance, has separate federally run hospital networks for private-sector workers, government workers, veterans, oil workers and another for workers in the informal economy and the poor.

 

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seem Nicaragua is competing with Belarus right now

Soon Nicaragua will hold mass funerals.

Seems Nicaragua rulers don't care a bit for their people cc xiskya

Support BIAFRA right to freedom

Brazil

Nicaragua though😂😂😂😂

It takes the whole world to align on strategies to tackle this COVID-19, because health drive productivities, economy and industrial change. If a large populated country is not following risk protocol, they are less likely to be the business partner.

Hey real matter. Keymoney_Kenya

Government programs are laced with red tapes both parties Private enterprises always moves much faster?

Reading the headline I thought it was about the US. Coincide? I think not!

The expansion of labour created this shit

Just like in the USA

ARGENTINA CARAJO LASTIMA QUE YA NO ES NUESTRA ES DEL NUEVO ORDEN

Thank god America the shiny capitalist mega country was totally prepared. That's why it's literally the worst case for the COVIDー19 outbreak. Hail wallstreet!

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