Hospital beds are a scarce resource in Latin America and the Caribbean, yet many are taken up by patients whose conditions could be managed outside the hospital, for example in clinics or doctors' offices, according to a new IDB analysis. In the study, we assessed what share of hospitalizations could be avoided by more effective primary care: hospitalizations for so-called … [Read more...] about One in Six Hospitalizations in Latin America and the Caribbean Could Be Avoided
María Fernanda García
María Fernanda García is an external consultant to the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) at the Social Protection and Health division. Her research agenda focuses on quality improvement, health inequality, and hospital efficiency. Prior to the IADB, she conducted research for the Universidad del Rosario on wealth and inequality gradients for the detection and control of hypertension in older individuals in middle-income economies. María Fernanda is from Colombia. She is an economist and holds a master's degree in Economics of Public Policy from the Universidad del Rosario.
Public Hospitals in the Region: What Is the Room for Improvement?
Hospitals are a key component of health systems and health spending in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Across the region, hospital care already accounts for about 1/3 of total health spending and is expected to increase in absolute and relative terms as populations age and medical technology improves. The public sector has a substantial role in providing and paying for … [Read more...] about Public Hospitals in the Region: What Is the Room for Improvement?