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According to the World Health
Organization, the total population is about 13,029,000. Total life expectancy is 55 for males and 66 for females; the total
expenditure on health as a percentage of GDP is 4.8%, less than Sudan and Kenya. The total population living in poverty
is 75%, with 58% living in extreme poverty.
To look at the statistics
associated with Guatemala, a picture of a poor country is drawn; the numbers are depressing. Years of civil war has left a
beautiful and fertile land desperately poor. Like many third world countries, grim percentages fail to convey that amongst
the poverty lives a rich and beautiful culture. According to the WHO, in 1993 for every 10,000 people there are only 9 physicians,
3 nurses, 20 midwives, and 1.3 dentists.
The Guatemalan healthcare
system is divided into three sections- private sector, an autonomous social security institute, and a public system. The private
sector includes for-profit and nonprofit healthcare organizations. This is accessible to the wealthiest Guatemalans. Less
than 5% of Guatemalans are covered by private insurance. The Guatemalan Social Security Institute is an autonomous institution
financed by workers and their employers based on wages with its own network of services and providers. About 17% of
the population is covered by this. Lastly, the public sector of healthcare providers is run by the Ministry of Public Health
Health and Social Welfare, which consists of government hospitals and health centers funded and maintained with public funds.
About 20% of Guatemalans do not have access of any part of the healthcare system.
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