Abstract

AGAFITEI, Gabriela Alondra. The Bolivian Universal Health System and effective access to healthcare: a diagnosis. rlde [online]. 2023, n.39, pp.35-76.  Epub May 30, 2023. ISSN 2074-4706.  https://doi.org/10.35319/lajed.202239278.

In 2019, the Bolivian government implemented the Universal Health Insurance (SUS) scheme. However, to date there is no research assessing the effects of the reform. This study fills the research gap by examining how access to public healthcare services evolved after the implementation of the SUS. The study has been conducted according to a combined method that analyses quantitative data, and data collected through semi-structured interviews. The results showed that access to public healthcare services has increased in the first year of the SUS's implementation compared to previous years. However, human resources are insufficient, spending at the macroeconomic level did not reach recommended levels for universal coverage, and long waiting times, and shortages in medicines and beds, persist. The study has concluded that even though access has increased, insufficiency of resources and the structural characteristics of the Bolivian healthcare system, pose consistent limitations for the universal outreach of the SUS.

Keywords : Universal healthcare; effective access; coverage; insurance.

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