Country Profile El Salvador

Access to healthcare in El Salvador and the quality of that healthcare is directly related to income levels. Appropriate healthcare is only available to those with the financial ability to pay the high cost. Healthcare for the poor is very limited.

A majority of the population has no readily available health services. There are almost no physicians in the more isolated regions of El Salvador. It is not uncommon for people living in rural areas to pack lunches and walk for up to three hours in order to be examined at local clinics. Those clinics that are run by the government typically lack adequate equipment, medicines, and personnel. Considering that, as of 2009, 39% of the population lives in rural areas (compared to a regional average of 20%) practical access to healthcare is a major concern.

Average life expectancy for men in El Salvador is 68 years compared to a regional average of 73 years. Life expectancy for women is 76 years compared to a regional average of 79 years. The numbers for child mortality have been improving over the last two decades. Since 1990, the Under-5 mortality rate has dropped from 60 deaths per 1,000 live births to 20 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The rate of maternal mortality in El Salvador is 110 per 100,000 live births. This compares to a regional average of 66 per 100,000 live births. The prevalence of HIV is 8 per 1,000 adults, compared with a rate of 5 per 1,000 adults regionally. The prevalence of tuberculosis in the population is 33 per 100,000, compared with an occurrence of 38 per 100,000 in the region.

Overall, the main concern for the health of the people of El Salvador is the fact that the per capita total expenditure on health is, at only $100, far below that of the regional average of $3,000. Regional health expenditures have been on the rise regionally, while El Salvador’s has been flat over the last 15 years. And this deficiency is reflected in the quality and availability of healthcare for its citizens.