A Historical Overview of the Ministries of Public Health and the Medical Programs of the Social Security Systems in Latin America

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between the evolution of the two major health subsystems in Latin America and the region's economic and socio-political development. From 1880 to 1930, national health departments, the forerunners of the present-day ministries of health, were created within the ministries of the interior in most Latin American countries. The initial mission of these departments was to combat the infectious diseases that hampered maritime trade and diminished labor productivity in the countries' export-oriented economies. During the 1930s and 1940s, changing economic and socio-political conditions led to the elevation of the health departments to the ministry level and the concurrent expansion of their activities to include the provision of personal health services for the unemployed and indigent populations. Similarly, the development of social security medical care programs was directly linked to the process of industrialization. In satisfying the demands of organized labor forces, these programs served as an important mechanism of social stabilizationi. In this paper, it is argued that understanding how historical conditions determined the nature and development of the two major health subsystems in Latin America is important for interpreting the problems facing the ministries of health and social security institutions today.