A presidential decree and a universal promise
President Claudia Sheinbaum announced it in her morning conference: in these days a decree will be issued to create the Universal Health Service in Mexico. The promise is ambitious: that any person can be treated in any institution, regardless of their eligibility.
“When we leave the government, any Mexican can go to any health institution to be treated for any illness,” said Sheinbaum.
The heart of the matter is in the data. For this to work, as explained, the IMSS, ISSSTE and IMSS-Bienestar will have to communicate their information. That is, the systems will have to talk to each other after decades of operating as islands.
Deadlines and the fine print
Here comes the interesting part. Credentialing for this universal service will take more than a year. The first tangible benefits, according to the president herself, will be seen until 2027. Meanwhile, the system will have to be strengthened with more specialist doctors and hospitals functioning.
As a companion to the process, there will be a digital application. They promise a unique medical record, laboratory results, appointments and even suggestions using artificial intelligence. The credential will also serve as official identification.
Sheinbaum urged the states that have not yet joined the IMSS-Wellbeing to do so. The dialogue, he says, is open to integrate state services into this universal scheme.
The question in the air is simple: will this time be different? The history of healthcare reforms in Mexico is full of good intentions and systems that never fully connect. Time, and especially execution, will have the last word.
