The situation in Venezuela is marked by a profound socioeconomic crisis that raises questions concerning its effects on the health system. The study's aim was to analyze the trends and current situation of the Venezuelan health system, with special emphasis on financing. Based on the World Health Organization's Framework for Action to Strengthen Health Systems, five of the system's six basic components were studied, along with the results in terms of coverage and the population's health. Healthcare financing in Venezuela proved to be primarily private, with a high and growing share of out-of-pocket expenditures, one of the highest in the world. The health sector is also assigned low fiscal priority, with a reduced public budget, vulnerable to fluctuations in oil prices. Meanwhile, health services provision and effective access have been jeopardized in recent years due to the decreased availability of physicians, particularly in some specialties, gaps in provision and medical equipment in health centers, and shortage of medical inputs, medicines, and vaccines, among other factors, affecting the population's health, worsening of several indicators. The economy's structural characteristics and socioeconomic dynamics have impacted the Venezuelan health system, aggravating longstanding problems like the system's fragmentation, segmentation, and "privatization", triggering the emergence of new difficulties like shortage of medicines and lack of accountability, among others.

This paper analyzes whether south-south cooperation is legitimately a recent practice or merely an improved version of previous regional integration processes in Latin America and the Caribbean. The authors reviewed and systematized the historic development of subregional integration processes in Latin America and the Caribbean and focused on health cooperation in the following contexts: the Central American Integration System, the Andean Community of Nations, the Caribbean Community, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, the Southern Common Market, and the Union of South American Nations. The study concludes that the conceptual and methodologic foundations of south-south cooperation in health were born from and nurtured by the processes of regional integration in Latin America and the Caribbean. This paper posits that regional political and economic integration initiatives bring potential benefits to the health sector and act as an important mechanism to develop south-south cooperation in this domain. The study recommends furthering this type of research to provide information that will allow national and multilateral agencies, or other stakeholders, to formulate and implement better policies for international health cooperation that target reducing inequities and promoting health and well-being for all people.

Brazilian foreign policy paradigms and changes in the global scenario since the Cold War created conditions for stronger ties between Brazil and Portuguese-speaking African countries. Recently, Brazil took the lead in regional integration processes and in South-South cooperation initiatives. These strategies and Fiocruz's acknowledged technical expertise resulted in its direct involvement in Brazilian foreign public health policy in the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries. Fiocruz developed cooperation projects in various areas, sharing its know-how and best practices in the most critical fields in partner countries, consolidating "public health framework cooperation" and contributing to diversifying Brazil's partners and promoting Brazil as a global actor.

El objetivo de este artículo es caracterizar la situación del adulto mayor en la fuerza de trabajo de Venezuela. Para el análisis, fue procesada la Encuesta de Hogares por Muestreo del Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas para el período 1975-2010. La situación del adulto mayor está marcada por su elevada actividad laboral, explicada por factores generacionales y de carácter sociocultural relacionados con el cambio estructural vivido por Venezuela entre la primera y la segunda mitad del siglo xx. Esa situación responde también a razones económicas, vinculadas a la precaria previsión social y al contexto de ingresos restringidos, producto de las recurrentes crisis, que incitaron a la permanencia en el mercado laboral de los estratos de más edad, especialmente de las mujeres adultas mayores, quienes abandonaron la inactividad para contribuir a mantener el nivel de vida de sus hogares. La escasa calificación, la informalidad y el trabajo por cuenta propia son características que distinguen al adulto mayor venezolano.

em Brasília. O acervo da biblioteca reúne fontes de informações especializadas sobre a interseção temática de bioética, relações internacionais e saúde pública que configuram um novo campo do saber e prática, tema da pesquisa de doutorado de Santana (2012) e objeto de estudo do Nethis.A biblioteca adota a metodologia BVS desenvolvida pelo Centro Latino-americano e do Caribe de Informação em Ciências da Saúde (Bireme) que é um centro especializado da Organização Pan-americana da Saúde (Opas). Lançada no dia 28 de julho de 2011, a BVS é visualizada como uma base distribuída do conhecimento científico e técnico em bioética e diplomacia em saúde.A biblioteca encontra-se em desenvolvimento, e de julho de 2011 até dezembro de 2013 trabalhou para sua certificação junto à Bireme. Nesse período, foram constituídos o Comitê Consultivo, que é o fórum de deliberação da BVS responsável pelas decisões estratégicas, e o Comitê Técnico, composto pelas bibliotecas ou centros de documentação das instituições do Comitê Consultivo. É membro da rede BVS Fiocruz, Rede BVS Brasil e integrante da rede de bibliotecas digitais da Biblioteca Central da Universidade de Brasília, parcerias importantes para a cooperação em informação científica.Além disso, em 2013,

Resumo: Visando contribuir à literatura comparada sobre potências emergentes, e sobre o Fórum Índia, Brasil e África do Sul (IBAS) em particular, este trabalho apresenta perspectivas comparativas sucintas sobre questões centrais dos sistemas de saúde desses países. Tomando por base os objetivos fundamentais dos sistemas de saúde estabelecidos no Relatório Mundial da Saúde 2000 da Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS), este artigo analisa e compara o estado de saúde das populações, a proteção financeira dos sistemas contra riscos à saúde e o financiamento dos sistemas de saúde. O levantamento de dados foi realizado por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica subsidiada por diversos indicadores devidamente tabulados e sistematizados. Conclui-se que os países-membros do IBAS têm perfis de saúde bastante diferentes e que suas populações são afetadas, em maior ou menor medida, pelos gastos catastróficos derivados das despesas com saúde. Em termos de financiamento do sistema, os três países apresentaram crescimento no gasto em saúde em valores per capita entre 2002-2012. Contudo, o gasto público foi inferior ao gasto privado em todos eles e a composição deste último mostra três realidades completamente distintas. Palavras-chave: Índia, Brasil, África do Sul. IBAS. Financiamento da Saúde. Sistemas de Saúde. Abstract:Aiming to contribute to the literature on emerging powers and the India-Brazil-South Africa Forum (IBSA) in particular, this study provides brief comparative perspectives on key issues on those countries' health systems. Based on the fundamental goals of health systems established in the WHO World Health Report 2000, this article analyzes and compares the health status of populations, the financial protection of the systems against health risks, and the health systems financing. Data collection was conducted through literature review subsidized by several indicators that were systematized. In conclusion, the member countries of IBSA Forum have quite different health profiles and their populations are affected, to some extent, by catastrophic spending resulting from health expenses. In terms of system financing, every country experienced growth in per capita health expenditures between 2002 and 2012. However, public spending was lower than private spending in all of them, and the composition of the latter shows three completely distinct realities.