[Health policy polarization in Mexico]

Abstract

In the last 17 years, health policy in Mexico has been shifted from a conception of integrated health care and a gradually extended coverage as a major responsibility of the State and health care public institutions, to in the one hand, a very active promotion of market and private profit in health services and in the other, poverty relief programs. In this paper we identify different periods corresponding to the last three presidential terms. Each clearly represent different stages of health sector reform: transitional (1982-1988), mercantilisation and poverty relief (1988-1994) and, strengthening of the so called health markets (1994-2000). The analyzed transformation is part of the set of secondary reforms subordinated to the structural adjustment and the economic and social megaprojects imposed by the international financial institutions.