Medicine Shortages, Inclusive Healthcare: The Week in Health

Some patients dealing with mental health issues could see interruptions in their treatments due to a shortage of prescription psychiatric medicines. Meanwhile, IMSS is leveraging technology to ensure healthcare provision while respecting the religious beliefs of citizens. 

In international news, researchers have made advances on the development of an on-demand male contraceptive method. 

Ready? This is the week in health:

Mexico Faces Shortage of Psychiatric Medicines

Mexico is seeing a shortage of lithium carbonate, clonazepam, alprazolam, clozapine and methylphenidate, which are essential for the treatment of some mental health conditions. This shortage could interrupt treatments and put patients at risk. “There are patients who only respond positively to one specific medication, such as lithium carbonate for patients with bipolar disorder; the lack of it can increase the risk of suicidal behavior,” Jaqueline Cortés, President, APM, tells W Radio. Read the whole story on MBN. 

IMSS Uses da Vinci Robot to Provide Inclusive Healthcare

The IMSS created the first committee that will address and evaluate different treatments for patients who cannot receive blood transfusions due to their religious beliefs. These beliefs can sway patients’ medical decisions, so it is important for health systems to offer healthcare services that align with their cultural, religious and social needs. The first patient benefited from this initiative was subjected to a minimal invasive surgery assisted by the da Vinci Surgical System. Thanks to this technology, the surgery was successful despite having an estimated rate of success of 5%. Learn more about it on MBN. 

Researchers Find Potential Male Contraceptive

Researchers found a safe, acutely-acting soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) inhibitor with long residence time that makes male mice temporarily infertile, which could lead to the development of new contraceptive methods for men. This method would make men temporarily infertile within minutes of taking a single dose of the contraceptive agent. Progress in the development of more male contraception options is essential as contraceptive methods for men are often limited to vasectomies and condoms. Read more about it on MBN. 

PAHO Launches Campaign to Improve Diagnosis of Childhood Cancers

During the International Childhood Cancer Day, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Childhood Cancer International launched a campaign to raise awareness of the first signs of the most common cancers affecting children and adolescents. The “Support Kids with Cancer” campaign seeks to inform parents, caregivers and health professionals in Latin America and the Caribbean of the most common symptoms to improve timely diagnosis and treatment outcomes, says the organization’s press release. Read the whole article on MBN. 

Telemedicine Could Narrow Mexico’s Healthcare Access Gap

Experts talked about the impact of telemedicine in Mexico during the Mexico Health Summit 2023, agreeing that virtual health has brought numerous benefits for patients, medical professionals and healthcare systems. However, they highlighted that there are gaps that are slowing down the adoption of this trend in Mexico. “Hospitals have been reluctant to invest in telehealth because they do not have clear business models to manage both channels [telemedicine and in-person care] at the same time,” says Guillaume Corpart, Founder and CEO, Global Health Intelligence. Learn more about what experts have to say about this topic on MBN.