Join a dedicated team of specialists across La Paz’s leading public hospitals and community clinics in Bolivia.
In the last decade, many initiatives have been launched to strengthen the Bolivian health sector. The Unified Health System (SUS) in Bolivia is designed to ensure universal, equitable, timely, and free access to comprehensive health care for all citizens. Public expenditure on health represents a significant portion of Bolivia’s economy, with 5.88% of the GDP and 17.1% of total public expenditure dedicated to health in 2021. Additionally, out-of-pocket health expenses account for 22.74% of total health expenditure.
Bolivia’s Economic and Social Development Plan (PDES) 2021–2025 emphasizes rebuilding the economy with a focus on reducing inequalities and poverty while fostering sustainable development. The plan has 10 strategic axes that align with the 13 pillars of the Patriotic Agenda for the 2025 Bicentennial. Specifically, Pillar 6 addresses health, education, and sport, with the goal of ensuring the right to health for all citizens, free from exclusion or discrimination, by implementing the SUS. The SUS provides free health coverage to those who are not covered by social security, positioning it as a central policy in Bolivia’s national health strategy.
Additionally, the Intercultural Community Family Health Policy (SAFCI) complements this effort by promoting healthcare models based on comprehensiveness, community participation, interculturality, and a focus on the individual, family, and community. SAFCI also seeks to integrate traditional and intercultural medicine into healthcare practices, aiming for a holistic approach to health promotion and disease prevention.
This combination of policies reflects Bolivia’s commitment to building an inclusive health system that integrates social, cultural, and environmental dimensions of health for its population.
This rotation requires intermediate Spanish, see our self-assessment guide here.
There are two specified options for 4th/6th year medical student rotations in La Paz, Bolivia: Pediatric Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Pediatric Medicine: The Pediatric Medicine rotation is based in two facilities: the tertiary referral pediatric hospital for the country located in the capital city of La Paz, and first-level care clinics located in peripheral areas of the city. This rotation will allow you to see a spectrum of pediatric care including specialized inpatient care, outpatient primary care, and urgent care. The rotation provides insight into how resources are cost-effectively mobilized to accurately distribute them in a tiered health system committed to universal health care. Physicians and health workers identify public officials working to ensure reduced health inequalities and effective intercultural care.
Obstetrics & Gynecology: Rotations in this area are carried out in a third-level national reference hospital, where complicated cases of gynecology and obstetrics are treated. The second rotation site is in first-level clinics where the functioning of the Bolivian health system can be observed in terms of comprehensive care for women of reproductive age. Bolivia offers a financial incentive to families that show their commitment to caring for the health of pregnant women and children under 2 years of age.
Start your application today!
To apply, select “Global Health in Bolivia (La Paz).” After you fill out the application forms and receive confirmation of acceptance from the CFHI team, please indicate your preferred elective focus under the placement preferences section in your dashboard.
