Paraguay is located in South America, between Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia, which has a population of fewer than 7 million people.
There are good private healthcare facilities present in Paraguay, mainly in large cities. Outside the big cities and towns - especially in rural and remote areas - health services are very limited in scope and availability. Healthcare facilities and general practitioners doctors (GPs) clinics operating normally expect upfront cash payment before treating a patient. There is a shortage of certain drugs in Paraguay and some drugs are not always available.
The Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare (Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social) is the government body responsible for overseeing the health sector, Paraguay and ensure the national health system is fully functional and delivered to specifications. Measures taken so far in the health sector reform in Paraguay have resulted in the health system is highly decentralized, with the objective of strengthening health services in 11 departments and sectors of concentration in densely populated areas.
The financing of the health system in Paraguay increased gradually during 1980 and 1990, 2000, the government budget available for the health sector in Paraguay has tripled over a period of ten years. However, the last decade has seen a decline in investment in health services Paraguay, which has resulted in a stalemate on improvements. The Paraguayan government has spent proportionately less on national health services compared with other countries in Latin America. Results in 2001 showed about 27 percent of the population of Paraguay had no access to any medical care - this was mainly the population living outside urban areas.
The health sector in Paraguay is divided into three sub-sectors, with the public sector consists of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare sector, the Military Health System, the Police Health, the sector of municipal health services and the education sector of the hospital. There are also plans for a semi-public sub-sector through charitable organizations such as the Paraguayan Red Cross. The private health sector consists of private medical centers, pharmaceutical laboratories and pharmacies, providing private health care have developed significantly in recent years.
The Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare funds Paraguay's health system through numerous sources, including the national budget and public finances by external borrowing and the revenue generated by the hydroelectric plant Itaip - a government plan state.
