Ecobreves – URUGUAY: Montevideo Seeks Healthy City Status

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

MONTEVIDEO, Dec 15 2003 (IPS) - The Uruguayan capital's government has applied to the Pan-American Health Organization for formal membership in the Healthy Municipalities and Communities Network, which the regional agency has been operating since the 1990s. The Montevideo government promotes decentralization and social participation and has a focus on preventative efforts to benefit residents' health, Miguel Fernández Galeano, the capital's director of health and social programs, told Tierramérica.

The network is made up of some 150 municipalities, fomenting pro-health actions in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean based on self-imposed commitments.

Montevideo, for example, proposed to extend water and sewage services from its current 80 percent coverage to 95 percent in 2005, said Galeano.

Its incorporation into the network would lead to more exchange and cooperation with local health leaders and support for an effective tool for improving citizens' quality of life, he said