Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2012, published 102nd ILC session (2013)

Medical Care and Sickness Benefits Convention, 1969 (No. 130) - Uruguay (Ratification: 1973)

Establishment of an integrated health system. With reference to its previous comments, the Committee notes with interest the adoption of Act No. 18.211 of 13 December 2007 respecting the integrated health system, the objective of which is to ensure complete health services for all residents (section 1). The basic principles of the integrated health system include universal coverage and the accessibility and long-term nature of health services. The Act provides that the public and private institutions which make up the integrated national health system are bound to provide users with complete health programmes approved by the Ministry of Health with their own resources or through public or private service providers (section 45). The Ministry of Health is made responsible for the implementation of this system by organizing the interaction between public and private complete health care providers (section 2). The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide detailed information in its next report on the manner in which the new legislation gives effect to each of the provisions of the Convention (in accordance with the report form) and if it would indicate the extent to which the objective of universal coverage sought by the integrated health system is progressively achieved in practice.

Article 10(b) of the Convention. Protection of the members of the insured person’s family. The Government refers in its report to the adoption of Act No. 18.211 of 13 December 2007 on national health insurance, which sets out the schedule for the progressive inclusion in the health system of the spouses of employed workers. Around 250,000 additional individuals should be covered by the health system following a transitional period between December 2010 and December 2013. The Committee notes this information with interest and requests the Government to ensure that progress is achieved in the coverage of the family members of insured persons so as to give full effect to Articles 13, 15, 16(1) and 17 of the Convention.

Article 22. Amount of sickness benefit. As the Government’s report does not contain calculations demonstrating that the maximum amount of sickness benefit is not too low, the Committee once again requests the Government to indicate the wage of a skilled manual male employee and the amount of the national minimum wage for the next reference period.