Challenges and Perspectives in Latin America's Public Health: A Conversation with Dr. Sergio Meneses Navarro
In the field of public health, Latin America faces a series of complex and urgent challenges. To gain a deeper insight into these challenges and explore possible solutions, we interviewed Dr. Sergio Meneses Navarro, National Researcher of Science and Technology Commissioned to the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico. With a distinguished career as a physician and anthropologist, Dr. Meneses Navarro shared some valuable perspectives on topics ranging from structural inequality to the transformative role of technology in healthcare.
CHECK THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW HERE
Social Inequalities and Equitable Healthcare
Regarding social inequalities in healthcare, Dr. Meneses Navarro highlighted the profound stratification that characterises Latin American societies. In his own words:
"These structures of inequality, these ideologies that stratify our society and determine forms of mistreatment, are present in all areas of life. To some extent, this also explains why we are so tolerant because we have normalised, for example, violence in our countries in places like Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Central America, where we have serious problems of inequality but also various forms of violence."
"All of this is not unrelated to the healthcare system. Within the healthcare system itself, which is embedded in our societies, it is not a separate world; there, too, morphologies and treatments towards others are expressed, and this is a challenge when considering guaranteeing respectful or good treatment for each person we attend to."
Sergio highlighted how inequalities in the healthcare system are evident in the segmentation of the population based on employment status, resulting in unequal access and quality of healthcare. Addressing inequality and violence within healthcare has become imperative in recent years, particularly in Latin America, including Mexico, where deep-seated inequality rooted in discriminatory ideologies like racism and sexism persists. This normalisation of violence extends into healthcare, presenting a challenge to providing dignified treatment for all. Recognising and confronting these structural inequalities within healthcare is essential as part of broader efforts to promote social equity and justice in Latin America.
Technology and Reduction of Inequalities
One of the most fascinating areas of focus is the role that technology can play in reducing inequalities. Dr Meneses Navarro emphasised the potential of using technology to improve the coverage and quality of healthcare but stressed the importance of programming these technologies to avoid the reproduction of discriminatory ideologies. According to his words:
"The technology in medicines, the technology in equipment…for example, that also is having an incredible boom, artificial intelligence, well, it is also a field that can allow us to increase coverage, also improve the quality of care…if we are going to have these kinds of technologies, we are going to program them so that they do not reproduce these ideologies and these practices in which I think we can find a consensus that they are undesirable and that we want to eradicate them from our society. Then we want to eliminate these ideologies that are harmful and that cause damage, that causes violence, and that ultimately also generate mistreatment and generate death, and even in the healthcare system death due to poor, poor forms of care, poor practices."
Quality Management and Accreditation in Health
When discussing quality management and accreditation in health, Sergio Meneses highlighted a crucial point: the need to consider the structures of inequality in these processes.
"The effects of structural inequality have been omitted, forgotten…Our accreditation system must include indicators and specific actions aimed at addressing these forms of mistreatment, and these forms of violence. For example, concrete actions to prevent and eradicate forms of violence against women, specific not only in sexual and reproductive health services or obstetric services but also in the care of chronic diseases. Also, for any reason, include specific actions to eliminate any form of racism, classism, or discrimination based on gender identity or religious reasons, and indeed they occur, or for any other reason including your employment status."
-Dr. Sergio Meneses, INSP Mexico
He emphasised the importance of including specific indicators and actions aimed at addressing the forms of mistreatment and violence present in the healthcare system.
Conclusions and Final Reflections
Throughout the interview, it became clear that addressing inequalities in Latin America's public health requires a comprehensive approach that recognises the complex interactions between social, economic, and technological factors. Dr. Meneses Navarro's words resonated with an urgency and deep commitment to more equitable and just healthcare for all.
In summary, the interview with Dr. Sergio Meneses Navarro provided a revealing insight into the challenges and opportunities in the field of public health in Latin America. His informed perspectives and commitment to equity in healthcare offer a valuable starting point for future research and actions in this crucial area that can be linked to a quality management and safety system for all patients.