Towards Universal Health Coverage: the Chilean experience

Overview

Health conditions in Chile improved considerably  over the last decades. Life  expectancy  at birth is eighty years for women and seventy-three years for  men, and the  infant mortality  rate is 8.6 per  1,000 live births. This success  largely  stems from  improved living conditions resulting from  socio-economic development and strong efforts in preventive care.  The  epidemiological  profile has changed significantly, evolving from  the preponderance of communicable diseases to  a  significant increase in non-communicable  and chronic diseases. 

This report is part of a series, The World Health Report 2010 Background Papers, which were written to inform the process of developing the key messages of the World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage.