Breastfeeding,Contraception:Priorities for the Ministry of Health

The Institute of Health for Wellbeing (INSABI) was in the spotlight this week following a report that it received less than half of the medicines it requested. Meanwhile, the government announced the creation of a new Decentralized Public Organization that will reduce INSABI’s operations. For its part, the Ministry of Health (SSa) highlighted the importance of breastfeeding and published guidelines for the prescription and use of contraceptive methods in Mexico.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) met this week to analyze and establish a roadmap to respond to the monkeypox outbreak in the Americas.

This is The Week in Health:

Only 40.8 Percent of Requested Medicines were Delivered to INSABI

INSABI received only 40.89 percent of the medicines requested by its hospitals in different regions of Mexico, according to its own data. The official site records that only 145 million pieces have been delivered as of July 25, 2022, from the 357 million requested. For example, Michoacan received only 28.5 percent of requested medications, Puebla received 28.9 percent and Morelos received 30.2 percent. States such as Aguascalientes and Nuevo Leon, which are not affiliated to the institute, did not receive any items despite requesting small amounts of medicines. Read the full story here.

Government Creates New Decentralized Public Organization

The government of Mexico announced the creation of a new Decentralized Public Organization (OPD) that will focus on the administration of public healthcare resources. The new organization will be autonomous and have its own budget and independent legal status. Learn more about it here.

Breastfeeding Saves Lives: Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health (SSa) warned about the potential effects of feeding ultra-processed baby formulas and snacks to children between 0 and 36 months old. “Most of the milk formulas and infant foods such as porridge and snacks that are promoted on social networks have a high content of added sugars, trans fats, sodium and proteins,” said SSa. In Mexico, 43 percent of babies under six months old are given baby formula instead of breastmilk and over 5,700 infant deaths linked to inadequate breastfeeding practices are reported annually. Full article available on MBN. 

Ministry of Health Supports Informed Birth Control Decisions

SSa, through the National Center of Gender Equality and Reproductive Health (CNEGSR), published technical guidelines for the prescription and use of contraceptive methods in Mexico. The document aims to support health professionals as they help women to make informed decisions regarding contraception and family planning. Mexico currently has the highest teenage pregnancy rate among all OECD countries at 77 births per 1,000 teenagers between 15 and 19 years of age. The country registers 1,000 daily births from under 19-year-old mothers. During the pandemic, pregnancies increased by 30 percent. Around 8,876 girls under 14 years of age got pregnant during the isolation period. Learn more about it here.

PAHO Establishes Roadmap for Monkeypox Response

The Board of Directors of PAHO convened a session with its member states to rule on the current monkeypox outbreak in the region, analyzing equitable access to the vaccine for the most at-risk populations. There have been over 10,000 reported cases of monkeypox in the Americas spanning 24 countries since the beginning of the outbreak in May 2022. In Mexico, Deputy Minister of Health Promotion Hugo López-Gatell highlighted that even though more cases are expected, the disease will not spread extensively. Read the full story here.

Medtech to Improve Diagnosis of Chronic Diseases

Technology and digitalization are shifting many aspects of everyday life, helping many people to address problems large and small. The health industry is implementing these new tools to streamline traditional tedious methods to provide clinical care, improving care practices and helping patients treat and manage their illnesses, as reported by MBN. Join the conversation at Mexico Health Summit 2022 ECHO on the use of medtech for better diagnosis for common chronic diseases with María Salido from Social Diabetes, Gerardo Jiménez from Genómica Médica, Natalia Díaz from NutriADN and Javier Pico from Life Sciences Consultants. Get your tickets here!