Global Initiatives - Peru

Peru is known for its vibrant and ancient culture, including the Inca Empire. Situated on South America’s west coast, Peru’s location boasts biodiversity including the Peruvian beaches, the Andes Mountains and the Amazonia jungle. Peru moved away from an authoritarian rule in 1945 after 20 years of dictatorship. However, the extreme poverty of its indigenous cultures lead to ruthless guerrilla organizations that began trying to overthrow the republic government in 1980 and illegal coca production.

Although the poverty rate has dropped overall in the last decade, disparity is still apparent between urban and rural communities. In order to help support their families, impoverished children have dropped out of school, either temporarily or permanently, to work. This lack of education has exacerbated poverty in rural areas.

The health care system is decentralized into different divisions of both public and private sectors. However, lack of trained healthcare professionals and insufficient funding means the needs of patients are not being met. Approximately 80% of the country’s physicians work in the coastal region which is home to just over 50% of the total population. In the last decade, the implementation of universal health insurance further amplified the need for trained medical staff. Currently, the government is attempting to alleviate staffing issues by incentivizing professionals to work in rural areas and re-allocating services evenly across the country.