Dr. Roberto Tapia-Conyer, General Director of the Carlos Slim Foundation, participated in the health panel entitled ‘Public-Private Participation in Health: success stories’ in the 25th Convention of Insurers of Mexico, organized by the Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions (AMIS).
The Convention was inaugurated by the President of the Republic, Enrique Peña Nieto, accompanied by the Minister of Finance and Public Credit, Luis Videgaray Caso and the Minister of Health, Dr. Mercedes Juan Lopez, who said that with the increase of non transmissible chronic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension, insurers need to design new health coverage.
During the health panel, Dr. Tapia-Conyer stressed that, despite the efforts of the Ministry of Health in the matter, pocket spending remains very high, so it is important to continue working to reduce that impact in the family economy.
He also said that in health, not only the public and private sectors, but many actors are involved. For example, the ability to innovate, which is not from the government but from the academic participation and non-governmental organizations. Their role should be more active to achieve a true paradigm shift.
He considered that to discuss health care from a public-private approach, it should be noted the level of care in question. In that sense, he resumed the topic mentioned by the Secretary of Health, Dr. Mercedes Juan, about the work that Carlos Slim Foundation is making to modify the first level of care with the federal government, which implies a change of mentality in training of medical and general health care staff.
He also noted that the participation of other actors in the health sector is an example of institutional maturity and called to address the urgent need of the equality in accessing health care services.
The General Director of the Carlos Slim Foundation emphasized that it is the right time for the private sector to turn to see the anticipatory subject, because currently there is no incentive for prevention. He exemplified saying that the care of a patient with diabetes is 31 times more expensive than the cost of preventing the disease.
In that regard, he noted the urgency of considering the concept of pre-disease, as according to evidence collected in 20 states: 37% of the population has pre-obesity, 10% pre-hypertension, 17% pre-diabetes and 7% of the adult population does not know that is diabetic.
He concluded taking about the need to create incentives for prevention from the private sector: If someone is going to medical check-ups periodically should have a discount on his insurance.
In the health panel also participated Dr. Felicia Marie Knaul, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School.; Dr. Eduardo Gonzalez Pier, Sub Minister for Integration and Development in the Health Sector; Dr. Reinaldo Camargo Scheibe, President of the Latin American Association of Private Health Systems; and Dr. Alejandro Alfonso Diaz, National President of Private Hospitals, who agreed on the importance of creating mechanisms to facilitate cooperation between public and private sector to ensure a more efficient and higher quality health care at all levels.
