Introduction
In this essay we will begin with a brief description and history of the origin of Social Security in Mexico and the World, to begin with a remembrance of who the participants are within Social Security in Mexico.
Just as it says in Article 3, “The realization of social security is in charge of public, federal or local entities or dependencies and decentralized organizations, in accordance with the provisions of this law and other legal regulations on the matter” (H Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States, 2013)
It is also our objective to show you the various situations that are currently affecting and influencing the issue of attention to the beneficiary, to the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS). And they will be able to see the situation from a different perspective which are the real causes of not being able to provide adequate attention to the beneficiaries in most cases, and which generates general discontent among the population that has this service.
Background
Social security refers mainly to a field of social welfare related to social protection or coverage of socially recognized needs, such as health, old age or disabilities. It was one of the great demands that arose from the Mexican Revolution and although it took several years after the end of the Revolution for its creation to begin to be conceived.
Social security is an institution born of human solidarity, which manifests itself in the reaction of helping individuals or groups in a state of need or disgrace. This social phenomenon has had different manifestations throughout history. In the 8th century, Charlemagne ruled that each parish should support its poor, old, sick without work and orphans, when they did not have family help. In England (1601), a national compulsory tax was established to cover this kind of parish assistance and later Sweden and Denmark took similar measures. It was up to Germany to start the second stage of social security where the first regimes against the disease were created in 1883.
We have that in Mexico, in the six-year term of President Lázaro Cárdenas, several preliminary bills were created to create the Mexican Social Security Institute, and it was until June 2, 1941 that the Technical Drafting Commission of the Social Security Law was created; the following month, said commission presented the initiative of the Social Security Law. But it was not until December 31, 1942 that said law was issued. In 1943 the presidential decree was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation through which the creation of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) was announced.
One of the biggest challenges for Social Security in Mexico has always been to provide protection to all inhabitants. However, it is important to note that only 35% of the employed population is incorporated into the social security system in its different regimes:
- Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS).Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE).Institute of Social Security of the Mexican Armed Forces (ISSFAM).Secretariat of Health (SSA)
We start with that information, to learn a little about how the IMSS was created and to fully enter the problems that will be addressed in this document.
We have the data according to the National Medical Arbitration Commission from 2000 to 2009, 19 thousand complaints have been filed annually and in 2010 it received 652 complaints from IMSS beneficiaries who complained of poor IMSS care.
Unfortunately in Mexico there is no habit of reporting so the number of complainants could be much larger.
In its second article, the Insurance law states that “Social security aims to guarantee the right to health, medical care, protection of livelihoods and social services necessary for individual and collective well-being, as well as the granting of a pension… ”(H. Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States, 2013, p. 9).
Development
To start, we have that the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) is an institution of the federal government, autonomous and tripartite (State, Employers and Workers), dedicated to providing health and social security services to the population that has affiliation to its own institute, then called insured and rightful holder.
Taking as Mission, that "The Mexican Institute of Social Security shall grant Mexican workers and their families sufficient and timely protection against contingencies such as illness, disability, old age or death." And that is governed by Superior Organs such as; General Assembly, Technical Council, Supervisory Commission and General Management.
It is worth mentioning that there is a difference between, insured, and beneficiary. This being the first the worker or subject of insurance registered with the Mexican Social Security Institute, in the terms of the Law. And if we talk about a beneficiary, it is the person to whom the insured is granting the benefit of medical care, be this husband, children or parents.
There is also an Internal Control Body, which among its functions is to promote the efficient management of the resources assigned to the Institute to increase productivity levels. It provides permanent advice to improve internal controls, reviews and audits administrative processes, and monitors that the performance of public servants complies with the law.
In order to prevent and combat corruption and impunity, it reviews complaints and claims against public servants, applying corresponding disciplinary sanctions against those who are responsible.
Entering fully into the topic that concerns us, we can begin with the analysis of why there has been a constant of complaints, poor attention, and discontent on the part of the beneficiary with the care received within Hospital Medical Units regarding administrative procedures or consultation with the Doctor Family.
Also within the complaints that have been reported, this is that their beneficiaries mention that in addition to the poor care received, they are also unhappy with the lack of medications, but especially the time involved in carrying out some administrative procedure or in some more delicate cases, certain studies with he waits up to three months, to name a few.
Observing the situation from an internal perspective, I can denote that this poor attention received at the IMSS is due to the fact that the institute does not have enough devices, infrastructure and personnel to provide effective and timely care to its more than 20 million beneficiaries. However, it should not be a justification because it is clear to me that the poor IMSS care is a consequence of the lack of planning and administration over the years by governments and corresponding authorities.
Currently, poor IMSS care not only affects the beneficiaries, but also the workers who work in this health institute, due to the lack of equipment or resources to work, limits the attention or the margin of action that is have.
Conclusions
Although at present the attention to the beneficiary is not the most effective, humane and adequate that is expected from the institution, it is known that millions of families receive care and can thank the Mexican Institute of Social Security.
Why thank? Since there are currently more than 10 million affiliates, more than 38 million beneficiaries and more than 11 million from the IMSS-Solidaridad program. That is the population that is served on a daily basis, with the little resource, infrastructure or budget that is granted to the IMSS, and vulgarly, as they say, they do what they can.
To face this reality, it is necessary to correctly and transparently manage the resources allocated to the IMSS, in addition to expanding the number of care units as they are already insufficient in light of the number of beneficiaries of the institute.
