Health Personnel Training in the Nicaraguan Health System

Abstract

The “Unified National Health System” of Nicaragua was established in 1979, in an attempt to transform some of Latin America's worst health indices. This system, based on the stated principles of planning, regionalization, public participation, and primary care, has prioritized the development of health professions training programs appropriate to its special needs and principles. Public Health and Epidemiology training was inaugurated in 1982. A new campus of the School of Medicine was opened in 1981, increasing the number of medical students by a factor of five. Formal residency training (never before available within the country) in primary care specialties has been established. Training for allied health personnel has been formalized in several fields, with the establishment of the Polytechnical Institute of Health. The rapid increase in number and size of training programs has created a tremendous need for educational resources both human and material. This article reviews the status of health personnel training in Nicaragua today, the integration of these programs into planning for the health system, and problems arising from their rapid appearance.