Neoliberal capitalism expanded the market logic to a globalized monopolistic control of society. Instantaneous worldwide transmission of information (messages, values and calculations) has become possible through digital communication, teleinformatics and hypermedia. This process has been equated to an industrialization of memory that replaced knowledge with instrumental registries. In this context, the development of a democratic and participatory process of information can only be obtained by incorporating communities in alternative information systems. Even though alternative information system proposals have been around in Latin America for long time, they have not became part of the institutional agendas. Health institutions concentrate mainly in the sophistication of information systems, clearly functional to the status quo. This paper analyzes the construction of such an information system, that incorporates a critical, multicultural and democratic perspective, and emphasizes empowerment as an essential ingredient for the promotion and defense of human life.
Health Information Systems; Human Development; Epidemiological Profiles; Participation
