Health
From The Report: Mexico 2017
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There is much to be celebrated for the Mexican health care system, which is moving in towards its goal of providing all citizens, regardless of wealth or employment, access to high levels of care. In the last three years, movements to increase coordination between health providers, cut costs and improve services are also to be commended. However, the inherent inefficiencies of the fractured public system and the bureaucratic wastage that accompanies it are a continual obstacle to providing the best possible service. Nevertheless, the private sector already plays a crucial role in the provision of health care in Mexico, which is likely to expand in the future. A great deal will depend on the general elections in 2018, which will determine the direction of a much-needed structural reform to the sector. This chapter includes an interview with Julio Sánchez y Tépoz, Federal Commissioner, Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Positive diagnosis: Public and private efforts have led to the development of a dynamic health care sector
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With much of President Enrique Peña Nieto’s reform agenda taken up by sweeping changes to the energy, telecoms and education sectors, the Mexican health sector has rarely made front page news. But while structural reform was put on the political backburner, impressive strides have been made to tackle the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), cut unnecessary costs and improve infrastructure. Faced with lower federal budgets, the country’s health care providers are increasingly looking to…

Analysis

Thanks to recent reforms, the price of pharmaceuticals has: fallen dramatically Good medicine
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Mexico is the world’s 11th largest pharmaceutical market and one of its most dynamic. Its performance in recent years depends on the metrics it is viewed from. In 2016 the market was worth $13.9bn, down from $17.2bn in 2014, according to data from IMSS health. However, with most pharmaceuticals priced in dollars the devaluation of the Mexican currency was a central reason for this fall. In peso terms, pharmaceutical sales hit a record MXN240bn ($14.5bn) in 2016, up from MXN209bn ($12.6bn) in 2015…

Interview

Rules of competition: Julio Sánchez y Tépoz, Federal Commissioner, Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (COFEPRIS), on balancing regulation with investment
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Interview:Julio Sánchez y Tépoz What recent advances have been made in Mexico regarding intellectual property (IP) rights? JULIO SÁNCHEZ Y TEPOZ: Naturally, the lack of IP protection is a deterrent for any company entering a given market. Mexico is seen as a country that values and respects IP, especially when it comes to the pharmaceutical industry. As is the case in the US, pharma patents of 20 years are respected in Mexico, whereas this is not necessarily the case in China, India or…

Analysis

Latin America’s leading exporter of medical devices continues: to experience rapid growth Necessary devices
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With the expansion of hospital infrastructure through the awarding of private-partnership contracts for hospitals and the growing tendency for public health providers to outsource procedures to private clinics, the market for medical devices in Mexico is buoyant. “Many in the health sector in Mexico have the perception that the investment priority is all about the pharmaceutical industry which is not the case,” Fernando Oliveros, vice-president and general manager of Medtronic, a device manufacturer,…

Analysis

Changing landscape: The government is turning to private sector actors to help cope with rising demand for health services
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In January 2016 President Enrique Peña Nieto’s first public appearance was to inaugurate Chiconcuac Community Hospital. “The first thing we want is health,” he announced at the event. “Let this be a year full of health, achievements and accomplishments, which is why I am devoting the first public events of the year to the theme of health in our country.” In his three years as president the federal government invested nearly MXN20bn ($1.2bn) in expanding, building or modernising 500 hospital…