Global Health and the Role of Biomaterials: Presenting the Case of Bolivia

Various organizations are taking an initiative to help advance the state of global health. The United Nations has established the Millennium Goals for 2015, and the National Academy of Engineering has instituted fourteen Global Grand Challenges, three of which are directly tied to improving healthcare. While significant progress has been made, according to the World Health Organization (The top 10 causes of death, 2013b), the greatest proportion of deaths in developing countries are early deaths due to infectious diseases and labor complications. Bolivia is a Latin American country with one of the highest instances of income inequality and sanitation concerns. The country’s struggle with healthcare development is reflected in one of the highest infant mortality rates (IMRs) in South America (World Health Organization in World health statistics, 2013a). A variety of natural biomaterials obtained from abundant Bolivian commodities will be examined as potential sources of more cost-efficient, safer, and easier-to-access medical treatments.