The Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare (MSPAS) embodies the country’s steering role in health and takes leadership in all the processes defined in the government’s policies on health. The country’s Constitution recognizes the enjoyment of health as a basic non-discriminatory human right and requires the State to safeguard this right by implementing actions of prevention, promotion, recovery, and rehabilitation through its institutions. The system of service provision in the country tends to be fragmented and segmented, since there is no functional integration or separation of functions between subsystems, each serving specific population groups that have access to different services. In recent years, health reform has helped to improve access to services for the most under-served population. The Ministry of Health’s main strategy for basic service delivery and increased coverage is the Comprehensive Health Care System (SIAS), mainly in primary care, which provides services to the public with emphasis on women, children, and environmental risks.

 Health System Profile of Guatemala

This third edition of the Health Systems Profile of Guatemala was reviewed and validated by a group of staff members and policymakers of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare (MSPAS), the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS), the San Carlos University (USAC), the Rafael Landívar University (URL), the Association of Community Health Services (ASECSA), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). The Office of PAHO/WHO in Guatemala was responsible for the technical coordination of the national group. Responsibility for the final review and editing rested with the Health Systems and Services (HSS) of PAHO/WHO, Washington, D.C.

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Guatemala Country Profile - Health in the Americas, 2007
Link to Guatemala Ministry of Health
Link to PAHO/WHO country office in Guatemala