The regulation of university education for health professionals in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay

Abstract

This article presents a partial outcome of a research project that investigates the regulation of health professions in the sphere of the Mercosur agreement. Health training and education is the subject of constant discussions, especially within the Mercosur, for the lack of consistency both within the regional block and within every member state. There is a mosaic of legislation related to health education among members, while the debate on the incorporation of the “Minimum Matrix” is at different stages in each country. Thus, the purpose of this article is to map and analyze health training and education in the Mercosur area, especially the current legal, normative and institutional configuration of its regulation, with focus on Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The methodological approach is descriptive-analytical and bibliographical and documentary research techniques have been used, as well as preliminary results from field research. Regarding final considerations, it was observed that the Minimum Matrix integration into the legal systems of the analyzed countries has not yet been implemented. The excessive autonomy of universities and provinces in Argentina is an obstacle to this incorporation; in Uruguay, the centralization of functions in the public university and the low normativity also hamper the homogenization to a common regulation; finally, in Paraguay regulation of education issues at the undergraduate level is very recent, therefore there is still room for more specific regulations.