A growing community
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the P4H Network has two members, the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The P4H Coordination Desk’s diligent work is reviving interest among potential partners in the region with valuable experiences to bring to P4H.
The P4H Network’s past work in LAC included collaborations in Haiti and Colombia. Between 2014 and 2020 in Haiti, P4H had a country focal person whose position was financed by the French government, a member of P4H, and by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). In 2013, there was also close collaboration between Colombia, P4H and Agence française de développement.
Concrete actions
P4H took part in the Health Systems Research Symposium held in Bogotá, Colombia, in late 2022 . Members of the P4H Steering Group – individuals representing institutional members of the P4H Network – contributed to the event along with participants from CCSS, USAID, The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents, the World Bank Group and the World Health Organization. A member of the P4H Coordination Desk also participated, networking and generating interest in potential new collaborations on key issues related to P4H’s mission, which is to promote social protection and health financing to advance universal health coverage.
P4H recently expanded the content of country pages for LAC on its digital platform. There, for example, data on health indicators, news and documents can be found for Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay and Peru.
Current opportunities
PAHO’s country office in Mexico is directing a political economy study of the transformation of the health system in Mexico. Analysing the actors and challenges in the transformation of the health system, the study is expected to provide key information on several topics. These include the state of the political economy for the ongoing transformation of the health system, its financing and equity prospects, as well as its resilience, soundness, economic and financial sustainability.
The P4H Network’s plans for 2023 build on established relationships. P4H expects to strengthen the relatively new relationship with CCSS. And P4H is collaborating with USAID’s implementing partners in LAC who are creating webinar sessions, blogs and articles. This collaboration will thus contribute to the P4H Network’s efforts in communications and knowledge management.
P4H is also continuing to explore collaborating in the areas of knowledge management – capturing knowledge, packaging knowledge in studies and other forms, sharing and storing knowledge – with other partners, including nongovernmental groups from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Peru. The P4H Network looks forward to carrying out this work while also expanding its presence in LAC.
