Consideraciones Generales sobre la Política y Gestión de la Salud en Venezuela (1900-2003)

Resumen

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE POLICY AND MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH IN VENEZUELA (1900-2003) In this work, we try to realize a general outline about the policy and management of the public health in Venezuela. It is a documental research which its results reveal: 1) the health’s institutionalization begins in the early 20 century. Since then and until 1958, there was not a formal policy and if anyone was applied, it was based in a bureaucratic-administrative model; 2) between 1958 and 1989, the health’s protection was formally established and a management model of bureaucratic-populist type is developed; 3) during 19891999, the health’s decentralization is promoted and developed, process that allowed the implementation of several management models which privileging the privatization, gave the way to a medical and curative policy. This period was characterized by technocratic traits. 4) Since 1999 until our days, the health’s policy gives a turnover. It is an intent to pass from a curative policy type to one of a preventive type, based on principles of primary health attention and in the framework of the New Public Management proposals. It is concluded that the health’s policy have been formally oriented to a primary attention development, however, it is evident in the practice a curative type policy with predominant bureaucratic-populist traits joined with those of technocratic type.