Health Conditions in the Americas, 1965-1968

Abstract

[Foreword]. Twenty years have elapsed since the Pan American Sanitary Bureau initiated, at the mandate of the Governing Bodies, the collection and analysis of data from the Governments which have permitted the publication of Health Conditions in the Americas. This series is today more than a profile for the content acquired over the period is sufficient to understand and interpret the evolution of certain health problems, the distribution and use of resources to solve them, the modification of priorities as a result of advances or recessions; in summary, a true sequence enabling comparative analyses of the countries. This report is the fifth of the series initiated in 1954 and covers the years 1965-1968. All depict stages in the natural history of health and disease in the Continent. The language that describes it is derived from the interpretation of the data and, above all, of the actions which, based on recorded experience, contribute to the reduction of the impact of morbidity and mortality. It has been well said that history is not the simple narration of the events which have taken place but the study of human reality, that is the reflection of the life of those who construct it and who advance and transform it. There would be no purpose in continuing with these periodic publications if they were not of value in formulating and executing plans, programs and projects in accordance with the characteristics of each country, the trends of development, the priorities established, the availability of resources—human, material and financial—and the resulting evolution. Vital and health statistics of our times are conceived as dynamic instruments, for reference and application, to be constantly improved. Despite progress, much remains to be done to perfect their quality and accuracy and to analyze and publish them currently. For this reason the greatest significance is given to this function, one of the pillars of the infrastructure which is indispensable in order to benefit those who most need it. It is evident that the societies of the Continent will have, to a variable degree, a disequilibrium between what they require to achieve their aspirations and what is available. Whenever priorities must be established and resources distributed in accordance with them, knowledge of the reality is inescapable, with information carefully collected and as specific as the characteristics of each problem demand. We wish to thank the Ministers of Health for their valuable contributions which have permitted the presentation o f this report. We hope that its contents will be useful to them in carrying out their great responsibilities.