A Good Healthcare System Is Beneficial to Human Development

Human development is associated with quality of life and community access to healthcare services, including state-managed healthcare and private services at hospitals, drugstores, outpatient services, and specialized care. For this reason, a high-quality, free and affordable healthcare service is essential for a better quality of life.

In 1966, the UN General Assembly recognized the right to universal health coverage and in 1976, that right was enacted in 160 countries. It highlights that every person should enjoy the highest possible level of physical, mental, and social health, which should be managed by the government, with the aid of private institutions, to provide affordable healthcare to all individuals.

To achieve this, we require medical services for healthcare and well-being that emphasize equality. To this end, personal, social, cultural, economic, geographical, and organizational barriers must be removed.

According to the 2020 National Survey on Health and Nutrition, Ensanut (Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición), the country has a healthcare gap, with socioeconomic and geographic components which is more prevalent when complicated procedures, higher number of visits, or large amounts of money are required, especially when a user must pay for about 47 percent of the total amount. Importantly, this in turn can lead to the risk of impoverishment.

Another factor regarding medical attention is time, including time spent commuting, waiting times for a visit or a procedure, time off from work or school, and the limited leeway with regard to service times and calendars, all of which leads many patients to disregard follow-up, resulting in the worsening of their condition.

For 30 years, Farmacias del Ahorro has been committed to offering Mexican families health-related relief, care, and savings. In this time, we have been working to strengthen the health of Mexicans through technological progress and innovation in well-being to bolster the number of people who can count on high-quality, low-cost healthcare services and commodities.

As a healthcare company, our actions, strategies, and programs are focused on being an ally for both the public sector and individuals.

At Farmacias del Ahorro, one of our core commitments is to be close to any person who needs us; Mexico has a population of 130 million people, all with different healthcare needs. With our 1,700 doctors in more than 1,500 branches in 28 states and over 320 cities, we can offer healthcare solutions to all Mexicans.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have shown a positive impact on individual and public health. These support and improve information collection, analytics, management, and exchanges in all health-related areas, improving diagnostic, prevention, and treatment tools. As a result of this technology, in 2020, we were able to widen our free medical advisory solution by going virtual, and we continue to offer healthcare solutions remotely.

We currently care for over 1,1 million patients through medical, nutritional, and skin care counseling, both in person and remotely.

According to the 2020 National Survey on Availability and Use of IT at Home, (Encuesta Nacional sobre Disponibilidad y Uso de Tecnologías de la Información en los Hogares) by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) in collaboration with the Department of Communications and Transportation (SCT) and the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT), Mexico has 88.2 million mobile phone users.

Following up with our commitment to care for the health of the Mexican people, we have focused our efforts on becoming a healthcare ally that can answer questions and meet healthcare needs both in the drugstore and in the palm of their hands. That is why in 2021, we added the Salud en Línea (Online Health) service through our mobile app, our webpage, and via WhatsApp. It is a service that includes appointment management, healthcare advice, and medication purchases so that all Mexicans know they have a healthcare ally at all times.

All the progress we have made toward better healthcare in Mexico is a result of technology that allows us to offer better services in this digital world. It helps us be aware of trends and it highlights actions required in Mexico to improve quality of life. It also helps us focus on meeting the needs of our users.

Considering the outlook in Mexico, and the challenge of providing universal health coverage, both the private and public sectors must walk hand in hand toward the same objective: a healthcare system that will reverse inequality and ensure equal access to quality preventive and curative healthcare.

Sources:
https://www.paho.org/es/sistemas-servicios-salud
https://www.paho.org/es/fondo-estrategico-ops
https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/healthfacilities.html
http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-36342015000200014
https://www.icrc.org/es/doc/assets/files/other/icrc_003_0887.pdf