Global Health and Latin America: Challenges to Health Systems in an Unequal World
1
Department of Health Planning and Administration, Sergio Arouca National School of Public Health/ Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Ensp/Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2
Vice-presidency of Education, Information and Communication, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
3
Universidad Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain
4
Centre for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Salvador, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The COVID-19 pandemic has widened disparities between and within countries and revealed the limitations of global health governance and multilateral agencies in implementing international solidarity mechanisms. Moreover, it exposed weaknesses in national health systems in managing health emergencies and meeting healthcare needs (1). Latin America, a region that reflects inequalities often worsened by political, economic, and social instability, was deeply impacted by the pandemic (2-5).
METHODS:
The research explores the connections between changes in global health and in Latin American health systems from 2010 to 2025, including the periods before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the international level, it focuses on the governance mechanisms and agendas of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). At the national level, it explores recent changes in the health systems of Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina in a comparative perspective. The research was primarily based on analysis of official documents from the World Health Assemblies, the WHO, the PAHO, and national governments, complemented by a literature review and secondary data analysis.
RESULTS:
Changes in the global, regional, and national health agendas were observed in the studied period. At the global and regional levels, even before the pandemic, a growing emphasis on emergency preparedness and health systems’ resilience was observed. At the national level, health policies were influenced by both international and domestic variables. Besides structural conditions, the health systems’ institutional legacies and government orientations played an important role, with differences between the three countries.
CONCLUSIONS:
Emphasizing emergency preparedness and the health system’s resilience is relevant, but insufficient to address complex health challenges faced by Latin American countries. Comprehensive multilateral strategies and national policies to promote structural change and strengthen public health systems in the Global South are crucial to reducing inequalities across and inside countries.
The COVID-19 pandemic has widened disparities between and within countries and revealed the limitations of global health governance and multilateral agencies in implementing international solidarity mechanisms. Moreover, it exposed weaknesses in national health systems in managing health emergencies and meeting healthcare needs (1). Latin America, a region that reflects inequalities often worsened by political, economic, and social instability, was deeply impacted by the pandemic (2-5).
METHODS:
The research explores the connections between changes in global health and in Latin American health systems from 2010 to 2025, including the periods before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the international level, it focuses on the governance mechanisms and agendas of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). At the national level, it explores recent changes in the health systems of Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina in a comparative perspective. The research was primarily based on analysis of official documents from the World Health Assemblies, the WHO, the PAHO, and national governments, complemented by a literature review and secondary data analysis.
RESULTS:
Changes in the global, regional, and national health agendas were observed in the studied period. At the global and regional levels, even before the pandemic, a growing emphasis on emergency preparedness and health systems’ resilience was observed. At the national level, health policies were influenced by both international and domestic variables. Besides structural conditions, the health systems’ institutional legacies and government orientations played an important role, with differences between the three countries.
CONCLUSIONS:
Emphasizing emergency preparedness and the health system’s resilience is relevant, but insufficient to address complex health challenges faced by Latin American countries. Comprehensive multilateral strategies and national policies to promote structural change and strengthen public health systems in the Global South are crucial to reducing inequalities across and inside countries.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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