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  WEBINAR  

COVID-19 and its impact on health costs in Latin America and the Caribbean

Background:

Background:

The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus forced governments to adapt to face the health crisis, making adjustments according to its development. International organizations as well as Social Security institutions continue to make efforts to control and mitigate the disease in accordance with the recommendations declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), which are: to guarantee early detection to reduce transmission rates, to work with all government sectors to keep basic health services and those caused by the spread of the disease, as well as the application of vaccines to reduce the cost of treatment for vulnerable, immunocompromised and infected people. The implementation of each of these recommendations generated direct costs, which implies substantial modifications to the Health and Social Security Systems.

In general, the COVID-19 disease caused extra economic and social costs, but particularly in the health sector, such as the unforeseen reconversion of hospital infrastructure to care for the infected population. The low public expenditure on health, evidenced the backwardness that exists in the health systems, which translates into inefficient primary health care and lack of effective systems for the management of health emergencies. It showed that having a financially sustainable health system could have translated into lower mortality rates.

It is not yet known what the real impact on the countries’ finances will be in the medium and long term, so it is important to consider the following points: 1) rethinking the spending that governments make on health on an ordinary basis and the restructuring of the financial operation after the experience of the pandemic, in order to be better prepared for any emergency in the future and 2) health planning, through a risk management approach to emergencies caused by any hazard; with improvements in the existing infrastructure, increase in health sector positions, training of health personnel, improvement of supply chains, investment in the development of new technologies for the organization of health services, to mention a few

The problem of the pandemic is not reduced only to the health crisis, it goes beyond that, it is directly observed how it affected the Health Systems in the region and in particular the most vulnerable populations, it also widened the gap in access to health, increased labor precariousness, decreased access to education and negatively affected the economy of families, to mention some of its effects.

In short, the relevance of this webinar lies in the untimely impact and the costs generated by COVID 19, which implies, in general terms, rethinking Social Security with a view to reflecting on a post-pandemic stage.

The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus forced governments to adapt to face the health crisis, making adjustments according to its development. International organizations as well as Social Security institutions continue to make efforts to control and mitigate the disease in accordance with the recommendations declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), which are: to guarantee early detection to reduce transmission rates, to work with all government sectors to keep basic health services and those caused by the spread of the disease, as well as the application of vaccines to reduce the cost of treatment for vulnerable, immunocompromised and infected people. The implementation of each of these recommendations generated direct costs, which implies substantial modifications to the Health and Social Security Systems.

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make efforts to control and mitigate the disease in accordance with the recommendations declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), which are: to guarantee early detection to reduce transmission rates, to work with all government sectors to keep basic health services and those caused by the spread of the disease, as well as the application of vaccines to reduce the cost of treatment for vulnerable, immunocompromised and infected people. The implementation of each of these recommendations generated direct costs, which implies substantial modifications to the Health and Social Security Systems.

In general, the COVID-19 disease caused extra economic and social costs, but particularly in the health sector, such as the unforeseen reconversion of hospital infrastructure to care for the infected population. The low public expenditure on health, evidenced the backwardness that exists in the health systems, which translates into inefficient primary health care and lack of effective systems for the management of health emergencies. It showed that having a financially sustainable health system could have translated into lower mortality rates.

It is not yet known what the real impact on the countries’ finances will be in the medium and long term, so it is important to consider the following points: 1) rethinking the spending that governments make on health on an ordinary basis and the restructuring of the financial operation after the experience of the pandemic, in order to be better prepared for any emergency in the future and 2) health planning, through a risk management approach to emergencies caused by any hazard; with improvements in the existing infrastructure, increase in health sector positions, training of health personnel, improvement of supply chains, investment in the development of new technologies for the organization of health services, to mention a few

The problem of the pandemic is not reduced only to the health crisis, it goes beyond that, it is directly observed how it affected the Health Systems in the region and in particular the most vulnerable populations, it also widened the gap in access to health, increased labor precariousness, decreased access to education and negatively affected the economy of families, to mention some of its effects.

In short, the relevance of this webinar lies in the untimely impact and the costs generated by COVID 19, which implies, in general terms, rethinking Social Security with a view to reflecting on a post-pandemic stage.

academic activity

Date
June 14th

Start
12:00 hrs
Mexico City
(UTC -5)

 

Modality
Via online through the platform
Zoom

Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email within the link to join the webinar

Start in:

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
Days
Hours
Minutes

Objective of the activity:

Objective of the activity:

To reflect on the costs and financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Health and Social Security Systems of Latin American and Caribbean countries in order to establish planning and risk prevention mechanisms.

To reflect on the costs and financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Health and Social Security Systems of Latin American and Caribbean countries in order to establish planning and risk prevention mechanisms.

Agenda

Daisy Corrales
Daisy Corrales Díaz
Former Executive Director

Welcome

12:00 to 12:05

Jorge Alberto Romero Toral Jorge Alberto Romero Toral
CAAF Specialist

  • Greetings to the audience
  • Summary of the situation
  • Objetive of the webinar
  • Panelists’ CV

12:05 to 12:10

Fabio Duran Valverde Fabio Duran Valverde
International Labour Organization (OIT)

1st presentation

12:10 to 12:40

María Luisa Marinho
María Luisa Marinho
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

2nd presentation

12:40 to 13:10

María Dolores Castro Rivero Leticia Martínez Martiñón
Superintendency of Health and Occupational Hazards (SISALRIL)

3rd presentation

13:10 to 13:40

Jorge Alberto Romero Toral Jorge Alberto Romero Toral
CAAF Specialist

Question and answer session

13:40 to 13:50

Luis Alberto Martínez Luis Alberto Martínez
CAAF President

Closing of the activiy

13:50 to 14:00

Public objective:

CISS membership, professionals from the areas of actuary and financing, welfare and social security, academia, civil society and the general public

ZOOMThere will be simultaneous translation into Spanish and English