Mexico has seen a shift in the range of diseases affecting majority of the population. In the 1950s to 1980s, most of the diseases affecting the population were communicable. However, in the recent past the state has seen a transition to have non-communicable diseases becoming more prevalent than communicable diseases. The healthcare system has experienced serious challenges in combating the various diseases affecting the population of Mexico. This includes the problem of dealing with diseases that constantly re-emerge such HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
Furthermore, the healthcare system has to deal with poor health habits among the population that result in conditions such as obesity, smoking and addiction to drugs such as alcohol and cocaine. The state has also experienced a challenge in coping with infectious diseases especially since the population is large (Holtz, 2008).
The healthcare system in the state of Mexico comprises of government organizations that provide healthcare services to those members of the population who are uninsured. There are also privately owned hospitals and healthcare organizations (including clinics) that are randomly existent to provide healthcare for purposes of profit generation for the owners. Workers under employment enjoy coverage by the social security hospital fund. This is through monthly deductions to cater for hospital expenses in a manner similar to an insurance policy.
The social security scheme provides certain benefits to it members. This includes provision of medical insurance during times of unemployment and disability. This is also extended to include retirement benefits for the contributors with the inclusion of life insurance and health coverage for the contributors’ dependents. However, due to constraints in securing employment and low social status only 50% of Mexicans have social security as a medical cover (Butler, 2012).
Private providers of medical cover normally have the middle class and the well-off individuals as clients. The Mexican healthcare system has been crippled by the provision of poor services by the medical personnel. This has resulted in utter dissatisfaction by the vast majority of the population especially in government organizations. There is also fragmentation in the various areas of the health sector thus resulting in inadequate coordination. This results in mishaps as far as achievement of the state’s medical goals are concerned (Giugale, Lafourcade and Nguyen, 2001).
Corruption and imbalances in the appropriation of resources have led to crippling of some health centers. Some regions also lack a well-equipped health centers for large distances. This results in inequity in as far as access to healthcare facilities is concerned (Giugale, Lafourcade and Nguyen, 2001). The healthcare delivery order comprises of a ladder network with the population having access to primary care facilities. Higher orders consist of secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities.
There are community health centers that store basic health goods with intermittent home visits to provide care to families. Community health coordinators usually head such centers to offer supervisory roles in the promotion of health within the center. Mobile teams provide medical consultations in the management of pandemics. The team is holistic since it comprises of at least a dentist, a physician, and a nurse (Teixeira, Belmartino and Baris, 2000). The community health center has a physician and several nurses to serve a specific population size. The health jurisdiction performs regulatory functions in the training and hiring of medical personnel to various counties and communities. The Ministry of Health in the state of Mexico also seeks to meet the health needs of the migrant population.
References
Wolper, L. F. (2004). Health care administration: Planning, implementing, and managing
Organized delivery systems. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Teixeira, S. M. F., Belmartino, S., Baris, E., & International Development Research Centre
(Canada). (2000). Reshaping health care in Latin America: A comparative analysis of health care reform in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Ottawa: International Development Research Centre.
Holtz, C. (2008). Global health care: Issues and policies. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett
Publishers.
Giugale, M. M., Lafourcade, O., & Nguyen, V. H. (2001). Mexico: A comprehensive
Development agenda for the new era. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Butler, J. T. (2012). Consumer health: Making informed decisions. Sudbury, Mass: Jones &
Bartlett Learning.
