During the 2024–2025 biennium, the Ministry of Health of El Salvador (MINSAL), with technical support from PAHO, made substantive progress toward the elimination and control of communicable diseases, in alignment with the Disease Elimination Initiative.
El Salvador achieved a sustained reduction in maternal mortality, which declined from 62.9 deaths per 100 000 live births in 2021 to 34.5 in 2022. Based on the available data, the maternal mortality ratio continued its downward trend, reaching 26.8 in 2023 and 2024, and 21.8 in 2025.
During the biennium, MINSAL assumed leadership of its consultative round table for primary health care, establishing an innovative mechanism for strategic coordination promoted through the Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas, together with PAHO, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the World Bank.
In El Salvador, intersectoral action on the social and environmental determinants of health was institutionalized at the territorial level, driving a structural shift in the participation of local governments through the Healthy Municipalities, Cities and Communities Movement.
During the 2024–2025 biennium, El Salvador made significant progress in strengthening its national capacity to prevent, detect, and respond in a timely manner to public health emergencies through the institutionalization of an early action review under the 7-1-7 metric. The country became the first in the Region to initiate implementation of this approach.
| Outcome Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 01.a. Number of countries and territories that show a reduction of at least 10% in hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 01.b. Number of countries and territories that have implemented strategies to strengthen the response capacity of the first level of care | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 02.e. Number of countries and territories with capacity to implement and monitor national policies or strategies to improve the health and development of young children that are informed by the WHO/UNICEF framework Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 07.a. Number of countries and territories that have reduced the density gap with respect to physicians, nurses, and midwives, achieving at least 25 health workers per 10,000 population in underserved areas, keeping in mind the global target of 44.5 by 2030 | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 07.b. Number of countries that have an interprofessional health team at the first level of care, consistent with their model of care | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 08.a. Number of countries that ensure that products listed on the essential medicine list are available without out-of-pocket expenditure at the point of care | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 08.b. Number of countries and territories with regulatory systems that reach level 3 under the WHO Global Benchmarking Tool (GBT) | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 08.c. Number of countries that increase the number of units of blood available for transfusion per thousand inhabitants (UBAT) by at least 5% per year to reach the target of 30 UBAT | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 08.d. Number of countries and territories that have regulations and oversight that ensure access to quality and safe radiological services | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 08.e. Number of countries and territories that have regulations and oversight that ensure availability of quality pharmaceutical services | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 08.f. Number of countries and territories that have implemented institutional frameworks, strategies and/or legal frameworks for the assessment, selection and rational use of medicines and other health technologies including antibiotics | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 09.b. Number of countries and territories that have reached at least 60% of their capacity to implement the essential public health functions | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 10.a. Number of countries and territories that have increased public expenditure on health to at least 6% of GDP | Target 2025 | Not achieved |
| Outcome Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 04.f. Number of countries and territories with capacity to conduct integrated surveillance of arbovirus cases | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 12.b. Number of countries and territories where the entire endemic (by vector transmission) territory or territorial unit has a domestic infestation index (by the main triatomine vector species or by the substitute vector, as the case may be) of less than or equal to 1% | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 12.c. Number of countries and territories with increased antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance capacity to guide the public health interventions for decreasing the risk and preventing the spread of multidrug-resistant infections through intersectoral action | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 12.d. Number of countries and territories that have adequate mechanisms in place to prevent or mitigate risks to food safety | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 17.b. Number of countries and territories with >80% of malaria cases investigated and classified in areas targeted for elimination or prevention of reestablishment | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 17.c [b]. Interruption of transmission of neglected infectious diseases (NID) in countries, following WHO criteria and guidelines [Chagas Disease] | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 17.c [c]. Interruption of transmission of neglected infectious diseases (NID) in countries, following WHO criteria and guidelines [Dog-mediated human rabies] | Baseline 2019 | Partially achieved |
| 17.d. Number of countries and territories with established capacity and effective processes to eliminate human rabies transmitted by dogs | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| Outcome Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 05.e. Number of countries and territories whose surveillance systems have the capacity to report on key indicators of the Global Monitoring Framework for Noncommunicable Diseases | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 05.f. Number of countries and territories that have tertiary care centers that provide rehabilitation services with multi-disciplinary teams for complex injuries | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 05.g. Number of countries and territories that have increased capacity to manage mental health disorders at the first level of care | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 13.d. Number of countries and territories that have eliminated industrially produced trans fatty acids | Target 2025 | Not achieved |
| 15.a. Number of countries and territories with an operational advisory committee or lead agency on road safety that supports the development and/or implementation of a national road safety strategy | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| Outcome Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 18.a. Number of countries and territories with capacity to implement and monitor policies to address social determinants of health | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 18.b. Number of countries and territories with capacity to prevent key occupational diseases | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 18.g. Number of countries and territories with capacity to address health in chemical safety (including human health exposure to metals and/or pesticides) | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 18.h. Number of countries and territories with capacity to address the health-related effects of climate change | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 19.a. Number of countries and territories that implement the Health in All Policies framework to improve health equity as well as health and well-being | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 19.b. Number of countries and territories that have integrated health promotion into health services based on the principles of primary health care | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 26.a. Number of countries and territories with institutional responses and accountability mechanisms that are advancing health equity, gender and ethnic equality in health, and human rights | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| Outcome Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 20.a. Number of countries and territories that implement integrated interoperable information systems for health that include subnational disaggregation | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 21.b. Number of countries and territories that generate, analyze, and use data and information according to health priorities, disaggregated by geopolitical and demographic strata, as appropriate to the national context | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 21.c. Number of countries and territories with established mechanisms on knowledge management, multilingualism, open access, and publishing | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 22.a. Number of countries and territories implementing a funded policy, strategy and/or agenda on research and innovation for health | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 22.b. Number of countries and territories that have ethical standards for conducting research with human subjects | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| Outcome Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 23.a. Number of countries and territories that meet or exceed minimum capacities to manage public health risks associated with emergencies | Baseline 2019 | Achieved |
| 23.b. Number of States Parties meeting and sustaining International Health Regulations (IHR) requirements for core capacities | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 24.a. Number of countries and territories with installed capacity to effectively respond to major epidemics and pandemics | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| Outcome Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 27.a. Proportion of countries and territories where the national health authority reports satisfaction with PAHO/WHO’s leading role on global and regional health issues | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 27.b. Number of countries and territories for which there is alignment between the national health policy, strategy, or plan and the outcomes defined in the PAHO Strategic Plan 2020-2025 | Target 2025 | Achieved |
1. Access to comprehensive and quality health services
2. Health throughout the life course
4. Response capacity for communicable diseases
5. Access to services for NCDs and mental health conditions
7. Health workforce
8. Access to health technologies
9. Strengthened stewardship and governance
10. Increased public health financing
12. Risk factors for communicable diseases
13. Risk factors for noncommunicable diseases
15. Intersectoral response to violence and injuries
17. Elimination of communicable diseases
18. Social and environmental determinants
19. Health promotion and intersectoral action
20. Integrated information systems for health
21. Data, information, knowledge, and evidence
22. Research, ethics, and innovation for health
23. Health emergencies preparedness and risk reduction
24. Epidemic and pandemic prevention and control
26. CCTs: equity, gender, ethnicity, and human rights
27. Leadership and governance
| Output (OPT) Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 01.1.a. Number of countries and territories with frameworks in place for integrated health service delivery networks (IHSDN) to improve the resolution capacity of the first level of care and integrate priority programs, including NCDs and the elimination agenda | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 01.2.a. Number of countries and territories implementing strategies and/or plans of action to improve quality of care in health service delivery | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 02.2.d. Number of countries and territories that conduct periodic developmental assessment as part of their services for children | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 02.2.e. Number of countries and territories implementing strategies to increase access to responsive and quality health services for adolescents | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 02.2.f. Number of countries and territories developing specific and integrated interventions and/or actions at primary care and/or community level focused on optimizing the health and well-being of men | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 07.1.a. Number of countries and territories that are implementing a national policy on human resources for health | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 07.2.a. Number of countries and territories with a norm that defines the capacities and scope of practice of inter-professional teams at the first level of care | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 07.3.a. Number of countries and territories enabled to strengthen health workforce competencies and capacity-building programs through the Virtual Campus for Public Health and other WHO platforms | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 08.2.a. Number of countries and territories that have established an institutional development plan to improve regulatory capacity for health products based on the assessment of their national regulatory capacities by the Global Benchmarking Tool | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 08.3.b. Number of countries and territories updating, developing, and implementing medicines pricing policies and monitoring systems | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 08.4.b. Number of countries and territories implementing a national plan to strengthen access to pharmaceutical services | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 08.5.a. Number of countries and territories implementing plans to manage and oversee the essential medicines supply chain, including planning, forecasting, and availability | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 08.6.a. Number of countries and territories that have a strategy/mechanism for antibiotic sales estimation and that enforce antibiotic sales under prescription | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 09.2.a. Number of countries and territories with mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating progress toward universal health and primary health care using PAHO’s frameworks and tools | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 09.3.a. Number of countries and territories implementing regulatory frameworks for the provision and financing of integrated people-centered health services | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 09.4.a. Number of countries and territories that have established, reviewed, and/or updated health-related legislation and regulatory frameworks in the last five years in support of universal access to health and universal health coverage, the realization of the right to health, and other health-related matters from a human rights perspective | Baseline 2023 | Partially achieved |
| 09.5.a. Number of countries and territories implementing interventions and actions to promote and protect the health and well-being of the migrant population within national health policies, plans, and programs | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| Output (OPT) Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 04.1.a. Number of countries and territories implementing national norms, standards, and tools aligned with PAHO and WHO guidelines on TB, HIV, STIs, and VH, with emphasis on key and vulnerable populations | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 04.2.a. Number of countries and territories implementing the new arboviral disease guidelines for patient care in the Region of the Americas | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 04.3.a. Number of NID-endemic countries and territories that implement PAHO recommendations on integrated interventions to reduce the burden of NIDs through their health systems | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 04.5.b. Number of countries and territories generating evidence to support decisions on the introduction or post-introduction of new vaccines | Target 2025 | Not achieved |
| 04.6.a. Number of countries and territories that have conducted Integrated Management Strategy arbovirus evaluations | Baseline 2023 | Partially achieved |
| 12.1.a. Number of countries and territories that have campaigns on antimicrobial resistance and rational use aimed at the general public and at professional sectors | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 12.2.a. Number of countries and territories with active programs to control antimicrobial resistance through scaling up of infection prevention and control and provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene in health facilities | Baseline 2023 | Partially achieved |
| 12.3.a. Number of countries and territories with an established multisectoral coordinating mechanism to oversee national strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 12.4.a. Number of countries and territories that annually provide laboratory-based data on antimicrobial resistance | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 12.5.a. Number of countries and territories reporting participation of communities in the response to HIV, TB, STIs, and viral hepatitis | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 12.6.a. Number of NID-endemic countries and territories that use the framework of the WHO WASH-NTD strategy as part of their national or subnational approach to tackle NIDs | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 12.7.a. Number of countries and territories that have in place or under implementation intersectoral mandatory risk-based regulatory mechanisms, food monitoring and foodborne disease surveillance systems, or any other practice to protect public health from foodborne diseases, with a One Health approach | Baseline 2023 | Partially achieved |
| 12.8.a. Number of countries and territories that have programs to prevent or mitigate zoonotic diseases and snake/arthropod envenoming | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 12.9.a. Number of countries and territories with integrated territorial actions for prevention, control, and/or surveillance of vector-borne transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 17.1.a. Number of countries and territories implementing PAHO/WHO-recommended interventions in active foci and areas at risk of reestablishment of malaria | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 17.3.a. Number of countries and territories that administer hepatitis B vaccine to newborns during the first 24 hours | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 17.6.a. Number of countries and territories that have met the established minimum annual rate of suspected measles/rubella cases plus at least three of the five surveillance indicators defined in the Plan of Action for the Sustainability of Measles, Rubella, and Congenital Rubella Syndrome Elimination in the Americas 2018-2023 | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 17.8.a. Number of countries and territories implementing plans of action to strengthen prevention, prophylaxis, surveillance, and control for the validation of the elimination of rabies transmitted by dogs | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| Output (OPT) Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 05.1.a. Number of countries and territories that are implementing evidence-based national guidelines/protocols/standards for the management of NCDs (i.e. cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease) | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 05.2.a. Number of countries and territories that have surveillance systems in place to enable reporting on the global and regional NCD commitments | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 06.2.a. Number of countries and territories that are implementing national standard operating procedures, protocols, and/or guidelines for the health system response to violence, aligned with PAHO and WHO guidelines | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 13.1.b. Number of countries and territories implementing a national policy or strategy on physical activity | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 13.1.c. Number of countries and territories implementing policies to reduce salt/sodium consumption in the population | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 13.1.f. Number of Member States that have implemented the four major demand-reduction measures in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) at the highest level of achievement | Target 2025 | Partially achieved |
| 14.1.a. Number of countries and territories that are implementing national policies consistent with the WHO Global Targets 2025 for maternal, infant, and young child nutrition and the nutrition components of the Sustainable Development Goals | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 15.2.a. Number of countries and territories that have a national multisectoral coalition/task force to prevent and respond to violence that includes the health sector | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| Output (OPT) Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 18.1.a. Number of countries and territories that have developed national, subnational, or local health policies, plans, programs, and/or projects that address the social determinants of health and inequities | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 18.2.b. Number of countries implementing plans, policies, programs, and/or interventions to increase climate resilience and environmental sustainability of health care waste management practices, following WHO Guidelines | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 18.2.c. Number of countries and territories implementing plans, policies, programs, and/or interventions to reduce health risks associated with outdoor air pollution, following WHO guidelines | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 18.2.d. Number of countries and territories implementing plans, policies, programs, and/or interventions to reduce health risks associated with hazardous chemical exposures, following the WHO Chemicals Road Map, the Minamata Convention, and other chemical-related policies and programs | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 18.2.f. Number of countries and territories implementing plans, policies, programs, and/or interventions to reduce health risks associated with household air pollution due to use of solid fuels for cooking and heating, following WHO guidelines | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 18.3.a. Number of countries and territories that have initiatives to prevent, diagnose, and record chronic kidney disease of nontraditional causes and/or pneumoconiosis | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 19.2.a. Number of countries and territories that build capacities of local-level governments to integrate health promotion in their planning | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 19.3.a. Number of countries and territories that have established an intersectoral mechanism at national or subnational and local government levels to address the determinants of health, applying the Health in All Policies approach | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 19.4.a. Number of countries and territories implementing a national health promotion policy | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 26.2.a. Number of countries and territories implementing policies, plans, and strategies to advance health equity | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 26.4.a. Number of countries and territories implementing policies, plans, and programs to advance ethnic equality in health | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 26.5.a. Number of countries and territories using human rights norms and standards in the formulation and implementation of health-related policies, plans, programs, and legislation | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| Output (OPT) Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 20.1.a. Number of countries and territories that have developed and implemented a plan to strengthen information systems for health based on PAHO’s IS4H maturity assessment model | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 20.2.a. Number of countries and territories implementing an updated plan of action for strengthening the quality and coverage of vital statistics | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 20.3.a. Number of countries and territories implementing digital health strategies or roadmaps, aligned with the regional policy and global strategy | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 21.1.a. Number of countries and territories integrating scientific evidence on health into practices, programs, or policies, using standardized methodologies including evidence-informed clinical and public health guidelines, norms, and standards | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 21.2.a. Number of countries and territories with mechanisms (policies, standards, tools, etc.) in place for the generation, dissemination, and preservation of, and access to, scientific and technical data, information, and evidence for health | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 22.1.a. Number of countries and territories with a defined policy framework for research for health, including appropriate funding mechanisms reported to the WHO Global Observatory on Health Research and Development | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| 22.2.a. Number of countries and territories with the national health authority enabled to address ethical issues and establish effective mechanisms for ethics oversight of research | Target 2025 | Achieved |
| Output (OPT) Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 23.1.a. Number of States Parties completing annual reporting on the International Health Regulations (2005) | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 23.1.b. Number of countries and territories that have evaluated disaster and emergency preparedness capacities in the health sector | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 23.2.a. Number of States Parties with national action plans developed for strengthening International Health Regulations (2005) core capacities | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 23.2.b. Number of countries and territories with full-time staff assigned to health emergencies | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 23.3.a. Number of States Parties that have conducted simulation exercises or after-action review | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 23.4.a. Number of countries and territories that include safe hospital criteria in the planning, design, construction, and operation of health services | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 24.2.a. Number of countries and territories with strategies and/or plans in place to detect and respond to high-threat and emerging pathogens, including emerging zoonotic pathogens | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| 24.3.a. Number of countries and territories with access to established expert networks and national laboratory policies to support prediction, detection, prevention, control, and response to high-threat and emerging pathogens, including emerging zoonotic pathogen | Baseline 2023 | Partially achieved |
| 24.3.c. Number of countries and territories with operational integrated surveillance systems and pandemic preparedness plans for respiratory viruses, including influenza and COVID-19 | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |
| Output (OPT) Indicator | Baseline/Target | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 27.1.a. Number of countries and territories with a current Country Cooperation Strategy | Baseline 2023 | Achieved |