Blog 8

 
Guatemala 

    Guatemala has the highest rate of stunting in the Western Hemisphere and the fifth highest rate in the world, with nearly half of all children under five stunted and chronically malnourished. There are several health challenges that limit Guatemala’s growth (USAID, 2020.) 

Implementation and Monitoring of SDG 3 

 In 2016. under the leadership of the National Development Council Urban and Rural (Consejo Nacional de Desarrollo Urbano y Rural) which is the leading organization for the promotion and participation of society, the government of Guatemala has adapted the 2030 Agenda alongside the National Plan Development K'atun Nuestra Guatemala 2032, in hopes to achieve structural transformations that ensure the right to development for the people of Guatemala. To implement SDG 3, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social) created six different programs that would address different health issues. These programs include the promotion of health and preventive medicine, recovery of health, prevention of maternal and neonatal mortality, prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV/AIDS, prevention and control of tuberculosis, and prevention and control of vector and zoonotic diseases. 

    The Structure of the implementation strategy and follow-up to the prioritized SDG Agenda was created from the instruction given by the National Development Council Urban and Rural. This structure included the different roles, competencies and attributions each health sector would be responsible of implementing the SDG, and the follow-up and monitoring would under the National Development Council Urban and Rural. 

Agenda cost 

    Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance assigned a specific budget for the development of the activities corresponding to each of the health programs linked to SDG 3. For example, in 2016 the total of this budget was Q1,939.80 (USD 24991.81) million and in 2017 the budget was Q462.35 (USD 5956.78) million. 

Health Issue 

    One of main factors that affect the health of the people in Guatemalas is the lack of access to healthcare services. Research has shown that health outcomes decline across Guatemala’s population, mainly where indigenous people live. People with lower educational levels that live in poverty are severely affected. Indigenous children under the age of five and women are the ones that affected the most, with an increase of stunting rate to 70%, while indigenous women have a maternal mortality rate of 139 deaths per 100,000 live births. Another major health issue is the high teenage pregnancy rates, ⅕  girls nationally have given birth by age 19. These issues continue to affect Guatemala’s youth  and complicate educational and economic advancement for younger adults (USAID, 2020.) 

 

Health Resources 

    Access to basic healthcare in Central America largely depends on socioeconomic status and environment (urban or rural). In countries such as Guatemala, rural areas don’t have access or quality of care. Approximately only 54% of basic health is meet in rural areas. Compared to other high-income countries, physician density in Guatemala is low. There are approximately 0.93 physicians per 1,000 population in Guatemala, which means that there is an insufficient amount of health care professionals available to the public (CDC, 2017.)

Addressed and Prioritized 

    Guatemala has prioritized the well-being of the people by promoting the increase in life expectancy; the reduction of some of the causes of death related to maternal and infant mortality; decrease, prevention and treatment of diseases; and guarantee, in the long term, the coverage of services health and wellness. The Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance has incorporated strategic interventions that address the goals of SDG 3. 

 

 

 

References 

elPeriódico. (2017.) [Guatemala busca alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible en 2030.] [Photograph.]https://elperiodico.com.gt/economia/2017/03/29/estrategia-para-cumplir-objetivos-de-desarrollo-incluiria-reforma-fiscal/

United Nations. (2017). Agenda 2030 para el desarrollo sostenible. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/16626Guatemala.pdf

Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. (2017, January 25). Healthcare Access and Conditions in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/profiles/central-american/healthcare-diet/index.html

Wikipedia. (n.d.) [Flag map of Guatemala.] [Photograph.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_map_of_Guatemala.svg

USAID. (2020, November 03). Health and Nutrition. https://www.usaid.gov/guatemala/health-nutrition

No author. (n.d.) [National Priorities of Development of Guatemala.] [Photograph.] https://pnd.gt