WHENMARÍA FERNANDAA 15-year-old woman living in Tlaxcala had a lump next to her right eye. The family thought it was a mosquito bite. A few weeks later, when it didn’t go away, doctors diagnosed it as a rare cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma. The family’s worries deepened when the hospital she was referred to was four hours from her home and there was a shortage of chemotherapeutic drugs to treat her. Eventually, a charity intervened to help buy the drug. “I don’t know why [the government] I don’t want to invest in my child’s health, “says her mother, Briselda.
Over the past three years, Mexican public hospitals have repeatedly run out of medication, including medications to treat cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes. In November, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador scolded health officials for lack. But they are caused by his policy.
Mexico has long provided fragmented medical services, and public provision is generally tied to health insurance obtained through employment. Earlier governments have sought to make healthcare more accessible, especially for those with informal work. In 2003, Segro Popular (or Popular Insurance) was introduced, covering about half of Mexicans. It was praised as an example of how developing countries can provide medical services to the poor.
When Lopez Obrador came to power in 2018, he vowed to replace this system with a universal, free system similar to the British system. He abolished Seguro Popular and established the Institute of Health for Wellbeing. He said this covers all people and all treatments. He also said he would eradicate allegations of corruption. The Treasury is now in charge of purchasing and distributing drugs.
The reality is not responding to hype. Despite the president’s promise, the new system does not cover all treatments. There was “terrible luck” in the new system, but there was also “terrible management” in that it happened at the same time as the pandemic, says doctor and former bureaucrat Carlos Magis Rodriguez. The first person was an archaeologist with little experience in public health, but the president was familiar.
In addition, the Treasury lacks experience in drug purchase, storage and distribution. Analyst Enrique Martinez Moreno says Mexico purchased about 1.2 billion items in 2020, which requires around $ 1.7 billion annually. Despite the lack of funding for the new system, the drug was bought at a higher price at the last minute.
Lopez Obrador’s reform was a “budget suicide,” says former health minister Julio Frenck, who was behind Seguro Popular. Medical costs increased under that plan, but were within clear parameters to avoid annoying financial surprises. The government was obliged to allocate a fixed amount to each registered person. The law has also established a fund for “catastrophic” costs that are not covered by the system, such as cancer treatment. In contrast, Lopez Obrador’s system funding is ad hoc.
Mexico spends only 5.4% GDP In terms of health care, it was less than in Uruguay, Argentina and Venezuela before the economic collapse. The 2022 budget includes a 15% increase in health care costs compared to 2021. But this has come after years of austerity.
The result is a squeaky system.Less than average doctors, nurses and beds in the country OECD, Mainly clubs in developed countries. Many people are looking to private care. 41% of total health spending comes from Mexicans’ own pockets, OECD..According to Ipsos woodMexico, a pollster, is the only country whose confidence in doctors has dropped from 71% to 66% between 2019 and 2021.
In December, Lopez Obrador declared that he would leave the military to distribute drugs. However, even if soldiers prove to be logistical wizards, they cannot magically use tablets from thin air. ■■
This article was published in the printed version of the Americas section under the heading “Billsbedamned.”
