Towards High Performing Health Systems

In September 2025, the Inter-American Development Bank convened the Regional Policy Dialogue “Towards High-Performing Health Systems” in Medellín, bringing together more than 110 participants from 22 countries. The meeting highlighted that, although Latin America and the Caribbean has made progress in expanding coverage, access alone does not guarantee better outcomes: too many people still receive care that is fragmented, delayed, or of low quality. To close this gap, countries must move from doing more of the same to redesigning how their health systems function, including workflows, care pathways, service networks, team roles, incentives, governance, and learning mechanisms.

The Dialogue proposed a roadmap based on a shared vision of quality, the redesign of service delivery and management, implementation with continuous learning, the institutionalization of governance, and sustainability through policies, financing, and capacities. This report summarizes the main messages and conclusions of the Dialogue on how health systems can fulfill the promise of universal health coverage not only through access, but also through effective, equitable, trustworthy, and high-quality care for all.