Abstract
This chapter discusses the Mexican health system. We first describe the general characteristics of Mexico and the health conditions of the Mexican population, with emphasis in noncommunicable diseases, which are now the main cause of death and disability. The following section is devoted to the description of the basic structure of the system: its history; its main institutions; the population coverage; the health benefits of those affiliated to the different health institutions; its financial sources; the availability of physical, material, and human resources for health; the delivery of personal and public health services; the stewardship functions displayed by the Ministry of Health; and other actors. This part also discusses the role of citizens in the monitorization and evaluation of the health system, as well as the levels of satisfaction with the rendered health services. In part three, the most recent innovations and its impact on the performance of the health system are discussed. Salient among them are the System of Social Protection in Health and the Popular Health Insurance. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the most recent health initiatives and reforms, and a brief analysis of the short- and middle-term challenges faced by the Mexican health system.
President of the University of Miami and former Minister of Health of Mexico (2000–2006)
Senior researcher, Center for Health Systems Research, National Institute of Public Health, Mexico
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Further Reading
Three publications by 2000 the same authors were particularly useful for the development of this chapter:
Frenk J, Gómez-Dantés O. Para entender el sistema de salud. Mexico City: Nostra Editores; 2008.
Gómez-Dantés O. Mexico. In: Johnson JA, Stoskopf CH, editors. Comparative health systems. Global perspectives. Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers; 2009. p. 337–47.
Gómez-Dantés O, Sesma S, Becerril V, et al. The health system of Mexico. Salud Publica Mex. 2011;53(suppl 2):S220–32.
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Frenk, J., Gómez-Dantés, O. (2019). Health System in Mexico. In: Levy, A., Goring, S., Gatsonis, C., Sobolev, B., van Ginneken, E., Busse, R. (eds) Health Services Evaluation. Health Services Research. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8715-3_46
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