For 50 years, PALTEX has helped millions of students and health workers access high-quality textbooks, practical manuals, and basic diagnostic tools at affordable prices.
Washington, D.C., 28 September 2016 (PAHO/WHO)-In the1960s, it was not easy to get a medical degree in many countries of the Americas, in part because of the high cost of textbooks and a shortage of materials in Spanish. To overcome this obstacle, which was keeping many young people from becoming doctors and making it hard for others to complete their studies, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) created the Expanded Textbook and Instructional Materials Program (PALTEX), which turns 50 this year.
The program was established in 1966 to support medical education, after PAHO consulted with its member countries and universities in the region. During its half-century of operation, PALTEX has provided more than 8.5 million high-quality educational publications to 21 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, at prices 40-50% below retail, thanks to discounts obtained by the program through bulk purchases.
"We have managed to improve access to quality educational materials at affordable prices," affirmed PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne during a celebration of the program's 50th anniversary that took place during the 55th PAHO Directing Council, which brings together the ministers of health of the hemisphere.Etienne said PALTEX was developed to support the education of physicians, nurses and other health professionals, both while pursuing degrees and in their continuing education in the health services. "At that time," recalled Etienne, "textbooks in Spanish were limited or were not available in the region, along with basic training materials and some basic medical instruments." Around 1979, PAHO expanded PALTEX's reach from five initial Latin American countries to 13. Since then, the program has expanded into other areas, including nursing, dentistry, nutrition, veterinary medicine, and pharmacy. Countries' health services and schools of public health also began using PALTEX textbooks and offering them to millions of students so they could complete their training. Eventually the program began to offer basic diagnostic tools such as stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers at more affordable prices.
PALTEX was a pioneer in translating classical medical and nursing textbooks into Spanish. After the Alma-Ata Declaration in 1978, it began to publish practical manuals to support the primary health care strategy, geared toward in-service training of professionals. This effort continues to have a major impact on the development of health systems in the region.
Since its creation, PALTEX has benefited students and health workers in over 560 institutions in 21 Latin American and Caribbean countries. Its high-quality educational materials have not only gone to universities in the large cities but have reached such remote places as the far reaches of the Amazon and the Patagonia region of Argentina.