Health reform in Chile is "absolutely necessary" and is based on the principles of equity and solidarity

Health reform in Chile is "absolutely necessary" and is based on the principles of equity and solidarity, Chilean Health Minister Dr. Pedro García said recently.

This objective "implies an important advance of our democratic system –consolidated in 1990– by allowing our society to obtain better standards of living and greater opportunities," said the Chilean official.

Dr. García gave his talk at the headquarters of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington, DC, where he is participating as chief of the Chilean delegation to the 45th Directing Council, the annual meeting of the hemispheric organization where policies on critical health problems of the continent are being discussed.

According to Dr. García, the Chilean government has given priority to comprehensive reform of the health sector, defining seven basic points to achieve the goal:

• The formulation of national health objectives.
• An explicit guarantee of universal access to health.
• Modification of the model of care toward fulfillment of the expectations and needs of the user.
• Improvements in working conditions of the health workers.
• Reinforcing the institutionalism of the health authority.
• Establishing a funding system for reform.
• Improving administration of health resources.

Health sector reform is crucial to adjust the country's system to changing epidemiological and health needs of the 21st Century, and to "put an end to the social drama of poverty and inequalities in access to health care," he said.

PAHO was established in 1902 and is the oldest organization international health agency in the world. It serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization and works with its 35 Member States to improve the health and quality of life of all the peoples of the Americas.