In 2023, after the pandemic, a group of my team worked on finding ten pillars that could transform the Mexican life experience through health. Such a process enabled us to realise the vast array of assets Mexico has and how, through proper coordination and eliminating silos, the current assets could drive Mexico to become a leading implementor of health public policy in the region.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed many deficiencies in healthcare systems, but not only that, it also revealed the fragility of community policies, self-care, and coverage in this area.
Therefore, intending to propose a new vision in the field of healthcare and access to health in Mexico, we created a proposal for a Decalogue for Health in March 2023, encapsulating a vision of a country where all people receive quality medical care and services.
The main goal of this effort was to conceptualize a universal, equitable, and effective health system for all Mexicans. To achieve this, we analyzed the problems and areas that need to be corrected in the Mexican health sector and identified 10 key pillars to ensure that the Mexican population has access to this essential service.
The 10 pillars of this decalogue are:
1. Comprehensive Health: The aim is to find a collaborative approach to designing public policies across all sectors through the integration of participation and dialogue platforms. The proposal focuses on creating intersectoral strategies, participation platforms among government sectors, and an evaluation system to support the measurement of these policies.
2. Dignified, Quality, Accessible, and Fair Health: All Mexicans should have free access to quality healthcare. A legal reform, including a revision of Article 4 of the Constitution, to enshrine the right to universal health, is proposed.
3. Community-Focused Health: This seeks to strengthen the primary healthcare model through community medicine. This involves modernizing the infrastructure of Mexico’s 15,000 primary care units, implementing community medicine programs, and developing a national plan for strategically distributing healthcare personnel.
4. Health and Self-care: The goal of this pillar is to build communities that are more aware of their health and better prepared for preventive measures. We aim to design and implement a Community-Based Care Model, Patient Education and Empowerment programs, and Patient Support Workshops.
5. Health Education: This area is focused on providing young people from vulnerable sectors with knowledge and tools to maintain good health. National strategies to improve mental health and prevent overweight and obesity through better dietary recommendations are included here.
6. Maternal-Infant and Adolescent Care: This area prioritizes the health of future generations through high-impact interventions. It proposes maternal and neonatal health programs, child health initiatives, and respiratory and gastrointestinal disease management reinforcement.
7. Scientifically Based Health: Aimed at ensuring professional care based on scientific evidence. It proposes promoting medical care standards based on the best scientific evidence, implementing a quality and patient safety model, and a program for evaluating and improving medical care processes and outcomes.
8. Healthcare Personnel Training: The goal is to offer the highest quality medical care and position Mexico as a leader in research. This involves global collaboration programs for knowledge exchange, specialized training, and initiatives to promote and strengthen health research.
9. Advanced and Technological Health: Increasing the efficiency and accessibility of healthcare interventions through technology is essential. This includes global collaboration programs for developing and adopting new technologies, a deeper focus on telemedicine, and a global cutting-edge clinical research program.
10. Transparency in Health: Finally, committed to the efficient and transparent use of allocated resources, the aim is to establish data analysis programs to optimize resource allocation, promote information transparency through institutional channels, and systematize periodic reports on resource utilization.
Thus, we emphasize the importance of viewing health as a universal right and a key factor for the development and well-being of Mexican society. Never before has health been so crucial, and today, with technological advancements, we must leverage this knowledge to our advantage.
Achieving universal health in Mexico is possible if a well-constructed framework provides certainty to all participants in the process. This can be achieved with an integrated approach that includes prevention, care, and attention while considering the social determinants of health.
Ultimately, this plan seeks to address the current challenges in the Mexican health system, such as millions of people's lack of access to healthcare services and the need to ensure access to essential medicines. It also focuses on modernizing the health system through research, continuous staff training, and adopting new technologies.
This Decalogue for Health aims to serve as the foundation for a vision of a Mexico with universal health access, where all generations can fully enjoy physical and mental health. A robust and accessible health system signifies equity, justice, equality, and prosperity in society. The final goal is to provide universality, equity, and effectiveness to the health of Mexicans by sharing knowledge and implementing the best practices globally.
A cross-sector, dignified, quality, accessible, and fair health policy is essential for building a system that functions comprehensively and in which society has confidence. Likewise, we are interested in promoting a culture of self-care and health prevention, as such a culture improves people's lifestyles and helps prevent future healthcare systems' potential overburdening.
Comments