Improving Healthcare in Peru

Peruvian healthcare has drastically improved since the 1990s. Healthcare expenditure has multiplied and access to services in poor, rural, and urban areas has increased. Enormous institutional innovation as well as the implementation of new programs and the proposal of new ideas has lead to this uprising. Healthcare in Peru is thriving and I believe that the key to their success is in their quality of care. Peru spends 5.5 percent of their GDP on health, the amount of healthcare workers in Peru is increasing, and their access to healthcare is continuously improving. However, there are still issues regarding healthcare in Peru. Despite difficulties that are faced everyday in healthcare, the increase in healthcare workers and access provides steady improvement across the country. The main issue is within poverty filled areas, therefore, Peru mainly focuses their attention to these areas and how to improve the ministry’s primary health subprogram. Authors of the article “Peru-Improving Healthcare for the Poor” were able to conclude that reforms introduced by the health ministry (MINSA) in providing primary care services have been successful and should be sustained, expanded and deepened. Taking into consideration the populations health outcomes, differences in health status, and the needs among those living in poverty and the rest of the population will allow further research on how to continue improving healthcare for the poor and therefore continuously implement changes. Improvement is not an easy task and cannot be done overnight. However, Peru is on the right track when analyzing cost barriers, shortcomings in management projects, quality in healthcare provider training, creating new health insurance mechanisms, and refining human resource skill requirements and incentives to better serve poverty programs. In conclusion, no system is a perfect system, but Peru is putting the right resources and abilities into making it the best that it can be.

Academic Goals:

1. I am very interested in the global engagement that comes along with studying abroad. I hope to reflect critically on Peru’s healthcare reform and compare it to the United States to better understand cultural healthcare and improve my understanding in my field of study.
2. I hope to discuss the sustainability aspect of Peruvian culture and how it influences their culture compared to other countries.

Personal Goals:

1. My first goal is to step out of my comfort zone. I know that communicating cross-culturally will be a challenge for me, but I am excited to expand my Spanish speaking skills.
2. Secondly, I believe that the best way to make the best out of a study abroad experience is to engage yourself with the locals and their culture. This will allow me to deepen my understanding of the culture while I’m there and better understand the in’s and out’s of Peru. With that being said, I really hope to be able to bond well with my host family also.