In February of 2025, we gathered to celebrate ten years of work by the Salud Mesoamerica Initiative, a strategy that has enabled us to strengthen maternal and child health care for the most vulnerable populations in eight countries: Belize, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the state of Chiapas in Mexico. During the event, I had the … [Read more...] about Quality in Health Care: 10 Key Lessons
Inter-American Development Bank
How Social Determinants Shape Health in Latin America and the Caribbean: Insights from a New Report
Este artículo también está disponible en español / This post is also available in spanish Health is about more than access to doctors and medicine. It is shaped by where we live, the air we breathe, the jobs we have, the education we receive, and the social connections we build. These factors—known as the social determinants of health (SDH)—play a fundamental role in shaping … [Read more...] about How Social Determinants Shape Health in Latin America and the Caribbean: Insights from a New Report
Five Years After COVID-19: Time for Booster Investment Shots in Pandemic Preparedness
Este artículo también está disponible en español / This post is also available in spanish During the Cricket World Cup in June 2024, while thousands of fans attended the matches that took place in Caribbean countries, teams of epidemiologists, doctors and health workers worked quietly behind the scenes using an electronic platform to report and respond promptly to possible … [Read more...] about Five Years After COVID-19: Time for Booster Investment Shots in Pandemic Preparedness
Towards Connected Health Across Borders: The Pan-American Highway for Digital Health
The Pan-American Highway, which we all know, connects the entire American continent, stretching from Alaska to the southernmost tip of Argentina. However, this highway is not seamless: there is a 130-kilometer gap between Panama and Colombia where the route abruptly ends. In healthcare, interruptions like this are a daily occurrence. These interruptions manifest in various … [Read more...] about Towards Connected Health Across Borders: The Pan-American Highway for Digital Health
Disability Certification: A Key Tool for Inclusion
In Latin America and the Caribbean, over 80 million people live with some form of disability, experiencing greater vulnerability than the rest of the population. This represents nearly 15% of the region's population. In this context, disability certification emerges as a key tool to ensure inclusion. In this blog post, written for the International Day of Persons with … [Read more...] about Disability Certification: A Key Tool for Inclusion