Health in Development (1983-1992)    

 
Chronology of events
 
The population of the Americas reached 735 million in 1991 and was expected to top 835 million in the year 2000. Almost three fourths of the population now lived in urban areas and it is estimated that by the century’s close some 100 cities in Latin America will have more than 4 million residents.

This rapid increase of the population and the massive growth of the cities created serious problems of infrastructure shortages, pollution, unemployment, violence, insecurity, and marginally bringing with them greater demands for health services. In general health conditions reflected poverty-related problems, including communicable diseases and malnutrition. The work of multiplicity of health care delivery institutions was generally not well coordinated, trained personnel were short in supply and misused, and health care coverage was insufficient, 30% to 40% of the population had no access to basic health services.

In light of the challenges posed by the changing political, economic, and social conditions in the Region over this 10-year period, the Organization set out to reorient the thrust of its work. It adopted a series of policies aimed at improving people’s health, transforming health service infrastructures, and furthering the relationship between health and development.

 
 

Chronology of Events

1983 Regional meeting of epidemiologists, health administrators and planners
1984 Plan for Priority Health Needs 
1985 Plan of action to halt the transmission of the wild poliomyelitis virus in the Americas
1990 Number of new cases of malaria exceeded 1 million 

Increasing incidence of tuberculosis 

 

1991 Regions last case of poliomyelitis
1992 58% of global AIDS cases were from the Americas