Demanda de servicios y posgrados de salud en la Región Caribe de Colombia y en Bogotá D.C.

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to assess the importance of health postgraduate programs to meet the demand of health services in Colombia. A comparison is performed between two Colombian regions (Caribbean and Bogotá D.C.) that are dissimilar in their demographic, economic, and geographic characteristics. The methodology is descriptive and the Pearson’s correlation coefficient is used. The results show a disparity between both regions in the number of postgraduate health programs available and the demand for health services. There is a deficit of postgraduate health programs in the Caribbean Region when compared to the demand for health services in this region, which also has a high poverty index. It is concluded that the cost of tuition fees for postgraduate health programs is a key factor affecting access to these programs.