Gente Saludable

Nilda Villacres, an expert in public health in Ecuador, is also a single mother of a 30-year-old son who was born with cerebral palsy. Despite the difficulties, she feels fortunate to work in a profession that helps her cover the costs of the people who accompany her son during a good part of the working day. “I take care of him alone during nights, weekends, and holidays when the girls are not there. I know many moms who left their studies to take care full-time of their son or daughter with a disability, and today they are not happy.

In noting the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, did you know that there is no universal declaration of the rights of older adults, like there is for children and indigenous peoples? What does exist in the United Nations is a space for formal discussion about which rights are the most relevant for this population. The issue of older adults initially seemed to concern only some developed countries.

...Sang the famous Spanish singer-songwriter Joaquín Sabina in 1992, “do not try the liqueurs of pleasure, build muscles from five to six, and watch your cholesterol.” Beyond his ironic lyrics about the exaggerated obsession with finding the elixir to prolong life, Sabina’s song alluded to a new reality: the increase in life expectancy and the implications that entails. For the first time in history, most people can aspire to live 60 years or more.

A young woman in Mexico with Type II diabetes hears her phone buzz and sees a notification – “Rise in blood sugar detected – inject 6 units of rapid acting insulin now.” A teenager in rural Lima struggling with depression logs into an app to talk online with a licensed therapist who lives thousands of miles away.

Regulatory agencies around the world are continuously reviewing requests for the commercialization of new medicines and other health technologies in their countries.

Latin America and the Caribbean is aging at an accelerated and unprecedented rate. At present, 11 percent of its inhabitants are over 60 years old, a percentage that still does not amount to what is considered to be an aging population, as in the case of Europe (23.9 percent) or North America (20.8 percent). However, it is expected that by 2030 the population over 60 in Latin America and the Caribbean will reach 17 percent, and by 2050 one in every four inhabitants of the region will have reached that age. Europe needed 65 years to travel the same path.

The population structures in Latin America and the Caribbean are changing and the challenges are not few. For example, 11 percent of the population over 60 years of age depends on other people for their daily care.

Latin America and the Caribbean have experienced important improvements in key health indicators over the last two decades. For example, since 2000 average life expectancy rose from 71 to 75 years of age, and mortality rates for children under five fell by 44%. The region currently faces the challenge of maintaining these achievements and making further progress in health outcomes and equity through sustainable investments in the health sector.

Errors in diagnosing are very common, despite being one of the most important aspects of a physician’s role, and can result in avoidable delays in obtaining care, and even death. In the United States, medical error, which includes misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment, is the third leading cause of death.

Despite enormous advances in technology and improvements in human welfare at the global level, there are still vulnerable populations today that have little or no access to basic health care, even in developed countries such as the United States. One factor contributing to the problem is the major crisis involving human resources in health – resources that are vital to the success of health systems. The problem is particularly acute in developing countries.