EBAIS clinics provide holistic preventative, curative, and public health services to communities across the country

Costa Rica’s EBAIS (Equipos Básicos de Atención Integral de Salud) are multidisciplinary teams that provide holistic and preventative health services across the country. Since 1995, the EBAIS model has sought to extend the provision of primary care to all and improve health outcomes through a focus on prevention. It has proven to help increase life expectancy and reduce health inequities in the country. There are more than 1,000 EBAIS teams in the country (about one EBAIS per 4,000 people).¹

Key to the EBAIS success is a community-based approach, where the EBAIS team closely monitors the health conditions of the area.³ All citizens are assigned to one EBAIS and are entitled to one yearly wellness visit, or more depending on their health condition. Payments for any services are paused for unemployed patients, and are provided at lower prices than market rate.⁴ Additional support from social workers or specialized doctors can also be coordinated through the EBAIS,⁵ though for more serious health treatments, the EBAIS team refers patients to the nearest hospital.⁶

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Bron: Sevilla Núñez, P.: ‘EBAIS clinics provide holistic preventative, curative, and public health services to communities across the country’, sdg16.plus, 2 juni 2023.