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Health services are very bad, time consuming and lack efficient medical services. I believe that corruption can be a factor that affects the poor quality of the health service.
Middle-aged woman, Brazil
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Doctors only treat diseases not the person. ‘Dengue fever’ you know how to cure it… but the person who has dengue and how it affects the family are not taken into account. Senior participant, El Salvador
Consultations acknowledge that the national health systems in the region have to simultaneously combat common diseases found in most developing countries, such as malnutrition, as well as emerging issues such as obesity, diabetes and even cancer. The incidence of communicable diseases — such as AIDS — and NCDs is increasing among the poorest
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populations, especially those of working age. As highlighted across different consultations, current safety net systems in Latin America and the Caribbean do not always make adequate provision for persons who require secondary or tertiary health care. Poor people are not covered by private health care insurance, and universal health care has not yet been
Consultation with Guarani, Kaiowá and Terena Indigenous People in Panambizinho, Mato Grosso, April 2013 (Photo: Flavio Lopes UNV/UNDP Brazil)
62 A M i l l i o n V o i c e s: The World We Wan t | A Sus tain able Fu t ure w it h Digni t y f or All
implemented everywhere. Across the different constituencies, participants also emphasized the need for more humane treatment by health care providers. People with disabilities in Manta, Ecuador, and those living with HIV/AIDS ask for “more humane and sensitive treatment” in their daily interaction with health professionals. In Bolivia and Costa Rica, participants include ‘warmth’ (‘calidez’ in Spanish) as a desirable quality in those who provide such services. This entails a more sympathetic approach in regards to the patient’s particular background and experience. Women, young people and rural and indigenous groups are most concerned with exclusion from economic life
Several countries in the region have experienced solid economic growth within the last few years. However, the consultations illustrate a perception that this relative prosperity has not been felt equally among all demographics. In fact, some constituencies feel that the barriers to economic success are simply too high. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the labour market, both in the formal and informal sectors. Young people are often seen as the group most affected by the lack of employment opportunities, which is not surprising, as many countries have youth unemployment rates that are twice as high as the national average. What is troubling is that this phenomenon is often interpreted as an extension of a social status quo that has little respect for youth. In Jamaica, young participants feel they are stuck between a past dominated by poverty, and an uncertain future with no opportunities to improve their situation. Youth from rural communities are usually identified as the most disadvantaged. Unemployment among young people is interpreted as an expression of the larger society’s inability to understand young people’s aspirations in terms of creativity and entrepreneurship. The labour market has also been unfavourable to women. In around half