Assessment of Venezuelan health services from a social development perspective

This paper evaluates four health programs housed in the Venezuelan Ministry of Health and Social Assistance: malaria eradication, infant paralysis, highrisk pregnancy and child birth and community participation. For each of the programs the study (a) identifies key management features relating to structure and strategy; (b) examines program performance to assess its consistency with the declared objective of promoting social development; and (c) evaluates what structure and strategy features may have contributed to the social development of the target community. Also, the information mechanisms which link planners, executors and the 'clients', were examined. Lastly, the extent to which target population involved in the decisions made with respect to each program, was reviewed.