Healthy municipios in Latin America

Abstract

The health municipios strategy in Latin America is helping to promote new social pacts in the search for solutions to problems affecting health and well-being; to strengthen the principles of solidarity; and, above all, to find a means of achieving equity. Through this movement, the health sector is bolstering its leadership capability by putting health on the political agenda. In the process, the organization services is being improved and the formulation and implementation of healthy poblic policies is being advanced. The political, financial, and technical challenges are great, but is they can be met, the healthy municipios movement will contribute to building a culture of health through the promotion of healthy lifestyles and to strengthening democratic processes and fostering good citizenship

Paper prepared for the Internatonal Conference on Healthy and Ecological Cities, Madrid, 22-25 March 1995