Pre-Pandemic Healthcare Levels Remain Low

Resuming attention to essential health services has been one of the primary efforts of care providers in 2022. While strategies have been pursued to close this gap, the Mexican public health sector still reports a 25 percent decrease in consultations and surgeries compared to pre-pandemic levels.

This information was presented during President Andrés Manuel López Obrador´s Fourth Government Report, which also showed that the drop on service provision began back in 2019, when this governmental administration began and Seguro Popular ceased operations. According to Animal Pólitico, specialty consultations also dropped significantly back then, with a 28 percent decrease compared to 2018.

The drop in consultations is also reflected in a drop in the diagnosis of Mexico’s most common diseases. From 2018 to 2022, the percentage of new diabetes diagnoses was estimated to shrink by 43.2 percent and of high blood pressure by 44.2 percent, according to government estimates.

IMSS has been vocal about its efforts to close this attention gap. The institute recently launched PREVENIMSS+, which is focusing on fortifying self-care to prevent and control chronic degenerative diseases. IMSS also implemented the National Days of Recovery of Ordinary Medical Services, which recently concluded its 11th round. This program's latest round also exceeded its service goal, reaching 129 percent and providing a total of 1.69 million healthcare services. These services included 244,117 specialty consultations, 31,125 surgeries, 610,120 detections, 749,054 family medicine consultations, 53,509 diagnosis and treatment auxiliary studies and 218 transplants.

The sector is beginning to pivot away from the complete, undivided focus on COVID-19 to return to the provision of regular healthcare services. For example, FunSalud is working to “strengthen Mexico’s public-private partnership through its first-ever agreement to address hospital reconversion,” said Santiago March, Health Technologies Coordinator, FunSalud, during Mexico Health Summit 2022 ECHO.

Technology can also play a central role in combating the wave of chronic non-degenerative diseases (CNCD) that is expected to surge after the reduction of diagnosis services. For example, a telemedicine-based strategy could foment the homogenization of health services in an equitable way, according to David Kershenobich, Former Director General, Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Health Sciences and Nutrition (INCMNSZ). “These services can actively regularize the provision of care in Mexico and record information about the country's epidemiology, fostering clinical and basic research,” said Kershenobich.

For diagnosis, technology can also be a watershed. However, for patients to be able to access it, providers need to strengthen collaborations to spur the benefits it can provide. “The point is to make the cutting-edge technology that already exists available for everyone,” said Jaen Velázquez, Head of Business Development, Siemens Healthineers.