Pandemic shock must propel stronger health systems in Latin America and the Caribbean

Santiago  – Strengthening health systems in Latin America and the Caribbean in the wake of COVID-19 must be a priority, according to a new World Bank publication entitled “Building Resilient Health Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic”. Investing in cost-effective interventions such as high-performing primary health care and better public health surveillance systems can build resilience against future pandemics. More investments are also needed to address pressures on health care services exacerbated by COVID-19, including mental health services, and to lay the ground for better human development outcomes and economic growth.

“The pandemic has shown that health systems need to be well funded and able to deal with shocks and surges,” said Juan Pablo Uribe, Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population, World Bank. “Many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have developed effective, innovative measures, including the expansion of telemedicine and telehealth services, increased the use of data in decision-making and new public-private partnerships that have expanded access to care during pandemic peaks. These innovations can be catalyzed, and propel broader, lasting reforms for better resilience in the health sector”.

Despite improvements in health care over the last 30 years, the Covid-19 pandemic encountered a region that faced many systemic challenges. Most healthcare systems in LAC underperform compared to the average for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Healthcare fragmentation is a key source of waste in the region, leading to duplication of tasks, substantially reducing system efficiency, and exacerbating inequalities. On average, health spending, although it grew in recent years, stands at only 25 percent of OECD countries’ expenditure per capita adjusted for purchasing power.

Limited health system capacity also impaired countries’ abilities to deal with shocks and surges in demands, as underinvestment in public health before the pandemic left health systems in LAC severely underprepared. The region has had one of the highest global rates of deaths and excess mortality due to COVID-19, and the pandemic has led to a significant increase of mental health conditions.

The publication was launched during an event organized by the Government of Chile and the World Bank, with the presence of the health and finance ministers of the region, high-level officials, and representatives of international organizations to discuss the challenges faced by health systems in the aftermath of the pandemic. The event culminated in a joint statement about the importance of investing in resilient health systems and mental health to strengthen human capital and the economy in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“For Chile it is very relevant to host this meeting, which is in line with the priorities of President Gabriel Boric’s government in Health, where we are working on three strategic lines for this period: reducing waiting times; Mental Health, which has worsened especially with the pandemic; and moving towards the reform of a Universal Health system that recognizes universal primary care as a central element, with a community approach, of favoring care and access through different mechanisms,” said Chile’s Minister of Health, Ximena Aguilera.

Since the outset of the pandemic, the World Bank has doubled its financial support to the health sector in the region. The World Bank’s Health, Nutrition and Population (HNP) portfolio in LAC totals US$ 3.9bn in commitments (29 operations), of which US$2.3bn (18 operations) are specifically aimed at strengthening the resiliency of health systems in the region. The World Bank is supporting new lending operations in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras via planned investments in primary healthcare, telemedicine, and health information and surveillance systems that are expected to contribute to the ability of health systems to effectively respond to future shocks including those related to climate change.