The shortage of medicines in Mexico explained in a book

2023-04-23 22:02:42

• Among the first decisions that AMLO made was to eliminate Seguro Popular and in its place created the Institute of Health for Well-being (Insabi).
• An investigation by the Nosotrxs collective affirms that 2021 was the year with the largest shortage of medicines in Mexico.
• The current austerity policy of the federal government has been severely criticized.

The variety of problems facing our country is quite extensive. It is not only the pandemic that remains active and threatens to never go away, but there are also others that came before it. Although one of the most worrisome is the shortage of medicines in Mexico because it affects millions of people. But how and why did it come about?

First of all, the shortcomings of the mexican health system have persisted for decades. The promise of achieving the universalization of this sector has been made by various rulers but none has succeeded. It is a goal that remains active but still seems far away.

Will Mexico have a Nordic-style health system?

In that tenor, Since the beginning of the mandate of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, he assured that health was one of his priorities. He even stated that in 2020 all Mexicans would be able to access medical services at no cost. In fact, his most famous phrase is that he would count on “a Nordic-style health system”.

The problem was that the pandemic started and all the changes were interrupted. Now his new promise is that by 2024, before his six-year term ends in December, the goal will be achieved. But will he really make it?

What happens with the shortage of medicines in Mexico?

In this line, public hospitals face a serious problem and it is the lack of medicines for patients. This is an issue that also affects doctors because they often have to modify their treatments to focus on what is available in hospital pharmacies.

For its part, the collective we He made a general overview of what is lived today. The result is the work entitled: Radiography of the Shortage: Report on Transparency in Health 2017-2021.

One of the conclusions obtained is that 2021 was the year in which the largest shortage of medicines was recorded in Mexico. While the trend seems to indicate that this painful situation could even be repeated in 2022.

A must read for healthcare professionals

All of the above leads to the book “The tragedy of the shortage” by the doctor and scientific popularizer Xavier Tello. It was published by Editorial Planet this 2022 and offers an accurate analysis of what is lived today and the wrong decisions that have been made.

The tragedy of the shortage of Dr. Xavier Tello

Within what he mentions is the contradiction of the austerity policy. It is the flag that the current government has used. Every year millionaire savings are presumed in all areas and the maximum promise is that all the money will go to people with fewer resources. While in the end no real changes are observed.

Likewise, one of AMLO’s first decisions was the Elimination of Seguro Popular and in its place created the Institute of Health for Well-being (Insabi). The downside is that there was no real improvement and, in fact, some consider it a setback. Now hospitals do not even have the minimum drugs to provide to people without social security.

In addition, there are also the unwise decisions of the Undersecretary of Health, Hugo López-Gatell. During 2021 he was severely criticized because he stated that the drug shortage campaign in Mexico was orchestrated by the parents of children with cancer. He has even denied on multiple occasions that there is a lack of supplies in hospitals, although the figures say otherwise.

For all of the above, the work of Dr. Tello is an interesting reading that shows a face of health that affects the entire country. If you are interested in purchasing this book, you can do so at this link and you can also take advantage of the fact that it has free shipping.

Also read:

Rising drug shortage: INCan does not have Paracetamol

Drug shortages in Mexico: An increasingly serious problem

X-ray of the shortage of medicines in Mexico