Letters to the editor: Scientific medical journal “Luz y Vida” and its contribution to the dissemination of biomedical and social research (Carta al Editor: La revista médico científica “Luz y Vida” y su aporte a la difusión de investigaciones biomédicas y sociales)

-FRAGMENT: Certainly, the publication of a Scientific Medical Journal represents an enormous effort. On the one hand, due to theinternational rules and regulations that are rigorously required before the publication. On the other hand, the scientificproduction in our country is under- encouraged and undertaken by health professionals. These both situations undeniablyaffect the future and the lifetime of a scientific journal. However one broadcasting means such as this is both essentialand motivating axis of the diffusion of knowledge and evidence developed in health institutions and beneficiarycommunities of medical action.Scientific medical journal “Luz y Vida” has taken on this difficult challenge and has launched the first edition withoriginal articles that reflect the current epidemiological profile of our department. In the same way to review articles andclinical case reports also show the wide variety of clinical situations identified in hospitals in Cochabamba and abroad.The first challenge faced by medical journals is to ensure its permanence and sustainability as long as it is possible,which means not only having a team of Editorial and Technical review, but also identify and secure sources of funding to cover the high publication costs.The second challenge is balancing the publication of original articles that go beyond basic epidemiological descriptiontoward analytical and experimental research. However this aspect is very dependent on the degree of developmentof research and the initiative of researchers. In many cases they operate with their own resources and they have littleaccess to hospital’s data. Until now institutions have not identified scientific production as their institutional functions.-FRAGMENTO: Sin duda alguna, la edición de una Revista Médico Científica representa un esfuerzo enorme, por una parte debido alas normas y reglamentaciones internacionales vigentes que se exigen con rigurosidad antes de su publicación y por otraparte, porque la producción científica en nuestro medio es insuficientemente estimulada y asumida por los profesionalesdel sector salud. Ambas situaciones afectan innegablemente el futuro y el tiempo de vida de una revista científica, peroal mismo tiempo un medio de difusión de éste tipo resulta a la vez imprescindible como eje motivador de la difusión de conocimientos y evidencias desarrolladas en los establecimientos de salud y en las comunidades beneficiarias del accionar médico.La Revista Médico Científica “Luz y Vida” asumió este difícil reto y ha lanzado al medio local un primer número con artículos or