2023-08-03 17:00:14
The pandemic caused by COVID19 has tested the capacity of all health systems in the world. In Mexico, it has been something really distressing, since a historical deficit in terms of resource availability has come to light. Above all, the main problem that has come to light is that there is an insufficient number of male and female doctors in the country.
According to data provided by the Ministry of Health, it is estimated that there are about 415,000 doctors in the country, of whom 270,000 are general practitioners and 145,000 are specialists, an insufficient figure to care for the 130 million inhabitants of the country. .
The average number of general practitioners in Mexico is 2.4 per 1,000 inhabitants.
If these figures are compared with those of other countries, the insufficiency of medical personnel can be clearly seen. In Mexico, the average number of general practitioners per 1,000 inhabitants is 2.4, while the OECD average is 3.4. With regard to specialists, the country has 1.1 per 1,000 inhabitants similar to those of Chile, but below other countries such as France (1.8) and the United Kingdom (2).
So to reach international recommendations, the Ministry of Health estimates that Mexico must increase the number of active doctors by 200,000. Of this number, 123 thousand should be generals and 76 thousand specialists.
A priori, it can be thought that the origin of this deficit is that not enough doctors are trained in the country to satisfy the demand, but this is not the case. In Mexico, 12 doctors graduate for every 100,000 inhabitants each year, 20 percent more than the average in OECD countries. In addition, the country is one of those with the largest number of medical schools, specifically 160 (although only 70 have accreditation from the Mexican Council for the Accreditation of Medical Education).
The government should focus on education and health promotion
What is clear is that this problem requires action to overcome it in the future. Citizens must improve their eating habits and physical activity and go to the doctor preventively to detect chronic diseases in a timely manner, thus reducing the burden on the system.
In turn, it is essential that young people, when choosing a career and specialization, take into account the offer and conditions of the market they want to enter, in order to increase the probability of obtaining a job in their area of study.
Finally, the government must modify the entry requirements and duration of the specialties. This with the aim of balancing and satisfying the demands of the current market. Likewise, it should focus on preventive medicine and also on health education and promotion to reduce current costs.
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