Latin America Advisor 2023-02-09 – Inter-American Dialogue

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

February 9, 2023

Can Latin America Improve Access to Digital Health Care?

Remote health care via technology, or telehealth, has grown in importance during the Covid-19 pandemic. A physician in Mexico is pictured with a patient. // File Photo: Intel Free Press via Creative Commons.

Q

The Pan American Health Organization announced Jan. 12 that it has developed a digital platform to bring telehealth services to people in remote areas of Latin America and the Caribbean. The “All-in-One Telehealth” platform, which has been piloted in Trinidad and Tobago, aims to enhance continuity of care for people with noncommunicable diseases, said a top official at the agency. How much of a need is there for telehealth services in Latin America and the Caribbean, and how well would such services address the population’s needs? How much has telehealth grown in the region during the Covid-19 pandemic, and what are its prospects for future growth? What obstacles are standing in the way of the development of telehealth services in the region?

A

Rolf Erik Hönger, area head for Latin America at Roche Pharma: “Unquestionably, one of the pandemic’s positive externalities was the acceleration of the digital transformation of health systems worldwide, including in Latin America. The Americas Health Foundation’s report ‘The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Cancer Care in Latin America and the Caribbean’, which we supported, says the access ‘is unequal in the region, and there are problems with access to quality services. The report adds that at least half of insurers worldwide offer telemedicine services and that Latin America and the Caribbean has 46 percent participation, putting it within the average. Telemedicine has a multiplier effect: helping developing countries to grow their economies, increasing access to health services, improving the experience for patients and caregivers, and lowering…”

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ABOUT THE LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.

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Staff

Gene Kuleta
Editor
P. 202.463.2920
E. gkuleta@thedialogue.org

Carl David
Goette-Luciak
Reporter

Nili Blanck
Reporter

board of advisors

Diego Arria
Director,
Columbus Group

Merike Blofield
Professor of Political Science,
University of Hamburg

Devry Boughner Vorwerk
CEO,
DevryBV Sustainable Strategies

Joyce Chang
Global Head of Research,
J.P. Morgan

Marlene Fernández
Corporate Vice President for Gov’t Relations,
Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s)

Peter Hakim
President Emeritus,
Inter-American Dialogue

Donna Hrinak
Director,
Adtalem Global Education

Jon E. Huenemann
Council Member,
GLG Inc.

James R. Jones
Chairman,
Monarch Global Strategies

Craig Kelly
Senior Director,
Int’l Gov’t Relations,
Exxon Mobil

Barbara Kotschwar
Professor of Political Economy,
Georgetown University

John Maisto
Director,
US Education Finance Group

Nicolas Mariscal
Chairman,
Grupo Marhnos

Thomas F. McLarty III
Chairman,
McLarty Associates

Beatrice Rangel
Director,
AMLA Consulting

Ernesto Revilla
Head of Latin American Economics, Citi

Gustavo Roosen
President,
IESA

Andrés Rozental
President, Rozental &
Asociados

Shelly Shetty
Managing Director,
Sovereigns, Fitch

Launch of the Regional Repository of Chinese Investments in Latin America

asia & Latin America

education

energy transition & Climate

Migration, Remittances & Development

peter d. bell rule of law

cities

Women & Girls