Health in Peru

Health in Peru has changed drastically from pre-colonial times to the modern era. When European conquistadors invaded Peru, they brought with them diseases against which the Inca population had no acquired immunity. Much of the population died, and this marked an important turning point in the nature of Peruvian healthcare. Since Peru gained independence, the country's major healthcare concern has shifted to the disparity in care between the poor and non-poor, as well as between rural and urban populations. Another unique factor is the presence of indigenous health beliefs, which continue to be widespread in modern society.

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative^[1] finds that Peru is fulfilling 85.6% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income.^[2] When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Peru achieves 97.0% of what is expected based on its current income.^[2] In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 91.9% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income.^[2] Peru falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 67.9% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.^[2]