 |
|
|
 Health & Beauty | June 2005 
Study Shows Mexico Health Care Needs Boost
 Orquídea Soto - El Universal
A recent report released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) a grouping of 30 of the world's most developed countries places Mexico towards the bottom of the class in almost every significant health category.
Mexican health spending accounted for 6.2 percent of the nation's GDP, which is 2 percent below the average for OECD nations.
The nation also had among the lowest per capita health spending of the group, with the average Mexican in 2003 spending US583 per year on care. Of all the member nations, only Turkey scored lower than Mexico in this area.
On weight issues, 24.2 percent of the population was classified as obese. In the OECD, only the United States has a higher rate of obesity at 30.6 percent.
Another critical area is health care coverage. Forty-six percent of the total spending in Mexico comes from public health care plans, such as Social Security for government and private workers.
Only 3.1 percent of the nation's total spending on health is funded through private insurance. In the United States, 66 percent of total spending comes from private coverage plans.
The OECD report also pointed to some improvements in the country's health care.
The number of doctors per capita in Mexico increased by 50 percent over the past decade.
While access to more advanced medical technology, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, improved greatly, Mexico still placed last in the use of MRIs. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us