Comparative analysis of health systems on the triple border between Brazil, Colombia, and Peru

The objectives of this article are to describe the health sector reform process in Latin American countries and its impact on the health systems of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru; analyze the structure of the national health systems of these bordering nations; and assess the constraints and potential for integrating the local health systems along the triple Amazon border. Using official documents and databases, we analyzed health system development and the structure of the services network in this segment of the border located in the heart of the Amazon region. Comparison of the three countries confirmed that Brazil's model has the characteristics of a national public health system, while the Colombian and Peruvian models emphasize insurance systems, with the adoption of compulsory health care plans, the segmentation of users, and limitations on coverage. The three countries are similar in their adoption of a public-private mix in service delivery, but they differ in the degree of access and type of State regulation. We concluded that the characteristics of the health systems in the three countries make the challenge of building a unified health system capable of guaranteeing universal access, equity in care, and comprehensive care a complex undertaking. However, despite the differences identified, we can state that the weight of the public sector in the basic care network makes it possible to foresee integration of the local health systems to provide an organized supply of programmatic health actions at the primary and secondary level of care.