Legislation and control of health risks in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

(Available only in Spanish) This study analyses health legislation in Latin America and the Caribbean in an effort to determine to what extent it contributes, or otherwise, to the elimination of health risks. The countries included are: Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela. The research focuses on the areas of medicine, private health insurance, certification of professionals and hospitals, environmental pollution, food protection, occupational health and safety, and blood banks and transfusion services. The study investigated current legislation to April 1, 2001 contained in the LEYES database, various legislative databases, specialized national and regional and databases produced by the Pan American Institute for Food Protection and Zoonoses (INPPAZ), and the Pan American Center for Sanitary Engineering and Environmental Sciences (CEPIS). Each chapter presents a table that identifies the subjects covered and the gaps in legislation based on the information analyzed.