Lima, Peru—A crate containing seven severed heads sits embargoed in customs at Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez, just outside this capital city.
They are a gift to Uldarico Rocca, MD, who wants to use them as teaching aids for his neurosurgeon colleagues at the Guillermo Almenara I hospital in Lima. The problem is that someone has classified the heads as cadavers, which means they need embalming and death certificates before being allowed into the country.
"Cadavers require rules in Peru," Rocca said. "These are anatomical specimens. There's no regulation for teaching material."
DIFFICULT PROGRESS
Rocca's dilemma typifies the struggle to improve medical care in this country of 26 million people. On one side are physicians and hospital and health plan administrators trying to create higher-quality health care delivery, and on the other are bureaucrats who at times seem intent on spinning webs of red tape to stymie progress.
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