From 12th to 16th October 2015, Colombia's Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MSPS) completed an advisory mission to Peru's Ministry of Health to create a health inequality observatory. This tool is part of the health reform underway in Peru, in line with the regional “Universal Health” initiative of the Panamerican Health Organisation, and its purpose is to improve the access and healthcare of the population.

Within this framework, Peru has been collaborating closely with Colombia's health ministry since 2014, with the support of the European programme for social cohesion in Latin America, EUROsociAL. The Colombian model of an observatory for measuring inequality and analysing health equity (ODES), noted in the region, has enabled the country to identify the social determinants of health and recognise equity gaps. It has also promoted the development of capacities for using the evidence in decision-making in public health policy formulation, both at the local level and the national level.

The Colombian delegation for the mission included Dr Juan Carlos Rivillas, Dr Claudia Moreno, Dr Paul Palacios, and they were accompanied by Dr Rita Ferrelli from EUROsociAL. Peru's health ministry involved the Directorates-General of Epidemiology and Statistics, and PARSALUD II, the programme that supports reform in the health sector.