OPS is the acronym for the Pan American Health Organization. International organization dedicated to public health policies directed to Latin America. It is a regional office that depends on the World Health Organization (WHO).
PAHO directs its efforts to ensure that each individual has access to health, which is one of the main human rights. To this end, it fosters the integration of the different countries in the region, as well as the various governmental and non-governmental groups to design policies that allow the population to access the health system, through collaborative networks that cover all sectors of the health system. society.
Each country has its own health needs, which must be met so that its inhabitants live longer and with better quality. Since this organization was created, it is estimated that the population in the Americas has increased its life expectancy by approximately 7 years, from 69.2 years in 1980 to 76.1 years in 2011.
Organizational structure of PAHO
This organization is based in the city of Washington D.C., capital of the United States of America. It constitutes the regional office of the World Health Organization in the Americas. It also serves as the health agency of the inter-American system.
PAHO has a total of 27 offices in the various countries of the region, as well as three specialized centers. PAHO's work focuses on the values of equity, excellence, solidarity, respect, and integrity.
PAHO functions
This body fulfills six basic functions in health, these include:
1. Leadership in crucial health issues that allows for the establishment of alliances when joint actions are warranted.
2. Define the lines of research and use the knowledge obtained.
3. Establish norms and procedures for the promotion of safe health in the region.
4. Ensure that health policies are based on ethical principles and are duly supported by scientific research based on evidence.
5. Promote sustainable institutional cooperation actions.
6. Monitor the environment to identify changes in the health situation and identify health trends.
These policies are also aimed at specific groups that are usually most vulnerable, such as the maternal population, newborns, adolescents, the elderly, etc. It seeks to reduce mortality due to low quality of health care as well as the mortality from communicable diseases (mainly HIV infection, tuberculosis, malaria and sexually transmitted diseases), and also the improvement of the quality of life of the population through control of risk factors in the case of noncommunicable diseases (high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, mental health problems, etc.). These preventive activities include vaccination as an important tool for the control and eradication of a large number of infectious diseases.
PAHO also includes policies aimed at preventing premature mortality from events such as accidents, as well as deaths and disability resulting from emergency situations.
One of its main strategies is promoting a primary health care system as a way to achieve greater coverage of the population. These systems should also promote access to medicines and technology for diagnosis and treatment, also promoting its rational use; as well as strengthening information systems and allowing the development of human capital working in the health area.
