[How to reduce health inequities by targeting social determinants: the role of the health sector in Mexico]. / Cómo reducir las inequidades de salud actuando sobre sus determinantes sociales: el papel del sector salud en México.

OBJECTIVE: To study lines of action implemented in Mexico by the health sector from 2007 to 2012 in order to combat health inequities by targeting social determinants. To contribute to better understanding and knowledge of how health system inequalities in the Region of the Americas can be reduced. To formulate recommendations for designing a future public policy agenda to address the social determinants associated with health inequities in Mexico. METHODS: The policies and programs established in the National Health Program (PRONASA) 2007 - 2012 were reviewed, and those that met four criteria were selected: i) they affected the social determinants of health (SDH); ii) they developed specific lines of action aimed at reducing health inequities; iii) they set concrete goals; and iv) they had been evaluated to determine whether those goals had been met. Three programs were selected: Seguro Popular, Programa de Desarrollo Humano Oportunidades (PDHO), and Caravanas de la Salud. Once each program's specific lines of action targeting SDH had been identified, the monitoring and evaluation indicators established in PRONASA 2007 - 2012, along with other available evaluations and empirical evidence, were used to measure the extent to which the goals were met. RESULTS: The findings showed that Seguro Popular had had a positive impact in terms of the financial protection of lower-income households. Moreover, the reduction in the gap between workers covered by the social security system and those who were not was more evident. By reducing poverty among its beneficiaries, the PDHO also managed to reduce health inequities. The indicators for Caravanas de la Salud, on the other hand, did not show statistically significant differences between the control localities and the localities covered by the program, except in the case of Pap tests. CONCLUSIONS: These findings have important public policy implications for designing an agenda that promotes continued targeting of SDH and heightening its impact in terms of reducing inequities. Guaranteeing the effective exercise of social rights, without socioeconomic, employment, ethnic, or gender-based exclusion, will be key. Action to provide comprehensive, inclusive, equitable, effective, and quality coverage, supported by a preventive and remedial model of primary health care, are recommended. Strategies should be centered on primary health services, because at that level, more comprehensive care focusing on the person rather than the disease can be provided. It will also be necessary to include periodic monitoring and evaluation phases to offer the comprehensive social protection system scientific armor and guarantee its effectiveness.

Cómo reducir las inequidades de salud actuando sobre sus determinantes sociales: el papel del sector salud en México / How to reduce health inequities by targeting social determinants: the role of the health sector in Mexico

OBJETIVO: Analizar las vías de acción implementadas en México por el sector salud entre 2007 y 2012 para atender las inequidades en salud, incidiendo en sus determinantes sociales. Contribuir a mejorar la comprensión y el conocimiento sobre cómo incidir en la reducción de las desigualdades de los sistemas de salud en la Región de las Américas. Formular recomendaciones para definir una agenda futura de política pública que permita atender los determinantes sociales asociados a las inequidades en salud en México. MÉTODOS: Se revisaron las políticas o programas definidos en el Programa Nacional de Salud (PRONASA) 2007 - 2012, seleccionando aquellos que cumplieran con cuatro criterios: i) que incidieran en los determinantes sociales de la salud (DSS); ii) que formulasen líneas de acción específicas para reducir las inequidades en salud; iii) que definieran metas concretas y iv) que hubieran sido evaluados en cuanto al cumplimento de dichas metas. Se seleccionaron tres programas: el Seguro Popular, el Programa de Desarrollo Humano Oportunidades (PDHO) y Caravanas de la Salud. Una vez identificadas las líneas de acción específicas de cada programa -dirigidas a incidir en los DSS- se evaluó el cumplimiento de las metas trazadas a partir de los indicadores de seguimiento y evaluación definidos en el PRONASA 2007 - 2012, así como de las evaluaciones y la evidencia empírica disponibles. RESULTADOS: La evidencia encontrada sobre el Seguro Popular mostró efectos positivos en la protección financiera de las familias de más bajos ingresos. Más aún, la reducción de las diferencias fue más evidente entre los trabajadores afiliados a la seguridad social y los no afiliados. El PDHO, al incidir en las condiciones de pobreza de sus beneficiarios, ha logrado también reducir las inequidades en salud. Los indicadores correspondientes a Caravanas de la Salud, en cambio, no mostraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las localidades control y las localidades cubiertas por este programa, salvo en el caso de la prueba de Papanicolaou (PAP). CONCLUSIONES: Estos hallazgos tienen implicancias de política pública que resultan relevantes para diseñar una agenda que permita seguir incidiendo en los DSS y potenciar su impacto en la reducción de las inequidades. Es clave garantizar el ejercicio efectivo de los derechos sociales, sin que nadie sea excluido por razones socioeconómicas, laborales, étnicas o de género. Se sugiere realizar acciones destinadas a brindar una cobertura integral, incluyente, equitativa, efectiva y de calidad, sustentada en un modelo preventivo y resolutivo de atención primaria de la salud. Las diversas estrategias deben estar focalizadas en la atención primaria de la salud, porque en este nivel se puede brindar una atención más integral y con una perspectiva que haga hincapié en la persona y no en la enfermedad. Será necesario también incorporar etapas de evaluación y seguimiento que proporcionen al sistema de protección social integral un blindaje científico para garantizar su eficacia.

OBJECTIVE: To study lines of action implemented in Mexico by the health sector from 2007 to 2012 in order to combat health inequities by targeting social determinants. To contribute to better understanding and knowledge of how health system inequalities in the Region of the Americas can be reduced. To formulate recommendations for designing a future public policy agenda to address the social determinants associated with health inequities in Mexico. METHODS: The policies and programs established in the National Health Program (PRONASA) 2007 - 2012 were reviewed, and those that met four criteria were selected: i) they affected the social determinants of health (SDH); ii) they developed specific lines of action aimed at reducing health inequities; iii) they set concrete goals; and iv) they had been evaluated to determine whether those goals had been met. Three programs were selected: Seguro Popular, Programa de Desarrollo Humano Oportunidades (PDHO), and Caravanas de la Salud. Once each program's specific lines of action targeting SDH had been identified, the monitoring and evaluation indicators established in PRONASA 2007 - 2012, along with other available evaluations and empirical evidence, were used to measure the extent to which the goals were met. RESULTS: The findings showed that Seguro Popular had had a positive impact in terms of the financial protection of lower-income households. Moreover, the reduction in the gap between workers covered by the social security system and those who were not was more evident. By reducing poverty among its beneficiaries, the PDHO also managed to reduce health inequities. The indicators for Caravanas de la Salud, on the other hand, did not show statistically significant differences between the control localities and the localities covered by the program, except in the case of Pap tests. CONCLUSIONS: These findings have important public policy implications for designing an agenda that promotes continued targeting of SDH and heightening its impact in terms of reducing inequities. Guaranteeing the effective exercise of social rights, without socioeconomic, employment, ethnic, or gender-based exclusion, will be key. Action to provide comprehensive, inclusive, equitable, effective, and quality coverage, supported by a preventive and remedial model of primary health care, are recommended. Strategies should be centered on primary health services, because at that level, more comprehensive care focusing on the person rather than the disease can be provided. It will also be necessary to include periodic monitoring and evaluation phases to offer the comprehensive social protection system scientific armor and guarantee its effectiveness.

A new entity for the negotiation of public procurement prices for patented medicines in Mexico.

PROBLEM: As countries expand health insurance coverage, their expenditures on medicines increase. To address this problem, WHO has recommended that every country draw up a list of essential medicines. Although most medicines on the list are generics, in many countries patented medicines represent a substantial portion of pharmaceutical expenditure. APPROACH: To help control expenditure on patented medicines, in 2008 the Mexican Government created the Coordinating Commission for Negotiating the Price of Medicines and other Health Inputs (CCPNM), whose role, as the name suggests, is to enter into price negotiations with drug manufacturers for patented drugs on Mexico's list of essential medicines. LOCAL SETTING: Mexico's public expenditure on pharmaceuticals has increased substantially in the past decade owing to government efforts to achieve universal health-care coverage through Seguro Popular, an insurance programme introduced in 2004 that guarantees access to a comprehensive package of health services and medicines. RELEVANT CHANGES: Since 2008, the CCPNM has improved procurement practices in Mexico's public health institutions and has achieved significant price reductions resulting in substantial savings in public pharmaceutical expenditure. LESSONS LEARNT: The CCPNM has successfully changed the landscape of price negotiation for patented medicines in Mexico. However, it is also facing challenges, including a lack of explicit indicators to assess CCPNM performance; a shortage of permanent staff with sufficient technical expertise; poor coordination among institutions in preparing background materials for the annual negotiation process in a timely manner; insufficient communication among committees and institutions; and a lack of political support to ensure the sustainability of the CCPNM.