This publication examines the relationship that exists between health and human development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The frame of reference for this analysis is provided by the proposal put forward by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on social equity and changing production patterns and that of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on health in human development. For ECLAC, the economic and social objectives of development are closely connected and must be considered together in national development policies. At the same time, it is essential to increase productivity and equity if the countries of Latin American and the Caribbean are to enter the next millennium with improved prospects for developing economically and competing in global markets