Mexico City, Mexico – President Enrique Peña Nieto announced last week that he plans to push for the creation of a universal healthcare system.

"The goal is to have a more homogenous healthcare system, with integrated operations and better coordination between our country’s different health institutions," the Mexican President said.

"It will be essential to fully provide the right to healthcare as a human right, as enshrined in our constitution, said the Mexican President."

A universal healthcare initiative will be presented to Congress in 2014, Peña Nieto said, adding that some of the primary goals of the plan will be to ensure that healthcare services are not fragmented, redundant operations are cut, and financing is not duplicated

Over-saturation of hospitals must also be avoided, which Peña Nieto said prevents Mexicans from receiving the quality of healthcare they deserve.

He went on to say that the adoption of a universal healthcare system will be insufficient if it is not accompanied by lifestyle changes by individuals.

To encourage the adoption of healthy habits, Peña Nieto said that he will present a National Strategy for Diabetes Prevention and Control in the coming days.

"We need to adopt health practices in our everyday life that allow us to prevent chronic, non-contagious diseases like diabetes or heart conditions," Peña Nieto said.