Health Care in Mexico

Advances in medicine and increasing health knowledge have increased the life expectancy by 25 years in the second half of the century. While the health of Mexicans has increased in the last four generations, there are millions of citizens who still do not have regular access to health care services. Mexico has adopted a pluralistic health care system. It consists of a combination of public and private health insurance programs. Of the 6.6% of government revenue spent on health, this provides only health insurance to 40% of the population who are privately employed. The health care system has three components: the social security institute, governmental services for the uninsured, and the private sector that is financed almost completely from out of pocket money. Governmental services include all services that are free in rural areas by the Secretariat of Health and family planning, vaccinations, oral rehydration, and emergency services that are free to all parts of the country. The number of public hospitals in Mexico has increased 41% in ten years from 1985 to 1995. Besides public hospitals, private hospitals exist but require pay. The majority of private hospitals are small with 83% of the clinics having less than 14 beds and half of those having less than 5 beds.
Half of Mexican citizens are uninsured and even more pay health costs out of their own pockets. For some families, more than a third of their income goes towards paying for medical needs. Because of the separation between upper and lower class, health inequities also exist when compared to national rates, especially for indigenous communities. For example, 40% of indigenous women have been found to be anemic compared to the national average of 26%. Studies also show that in low income areas, less than 10% of pregnant women deliver their babies in a hospital.