Introduction
In Mexico, there are many public education and healthcare concerns present amongst citizens, especially in families with children. There are major issues in both institutions which require support from the government to help create the necessary changes. In healthcare, quality of care, funding, and equal access are all components in need of reform, and within the education system, Mexico lacks the resources to provide kids with disabilities a proper education. The following papers explore the various ways in which Mexico has attempted to improve these issues. A trial in the province of Tlaxcala tested the implementation of specialized family health units in local hospitals, which observed drastic decreases in infant mortality. A second paper examines the establishment of health centres in Xochimilco which led to the development of vital health training programmes in rural areas . A third paper looks at how Mexican mothers and children had unequal access to medical services required to help improve child development. Lastly, a fourth study looked into the development of a school for kids with disabilities in a small Mexican town, Nuevo Laredo. They work with the goal of integrating them into society by teaching them skills which would allow them to be self-sufficient. Altogether, these four documents show a clear need for changes in the systems that ensure public stability, safety, and prosperity in Mexico.
Guiscafre, H., et al. “The Impact of a Clinical Training Unit on Integrated Child Health Care in Mexico.” Bulletin of the World Health Organization , vol. 79, no. 5, 2001, pp. 434-441.
This study examines major issues causing infant mortality in the Tlaxcala province of Mexico, and documents a clinical training unit’s goals to reduce the death rate. Major contributors to high infant mortality outlined in the study are Diarrhea and Acute Respiratory Infections. Mothers often took their children to the hospital, yet there were no specialists available to handle these common ailments. By introducing a specialized health unit at the provincial hospital, the hospital could train small groups of doctors alongside pediatricians helping families with small children. The result of the creation of this unit was a significant decline in infant mortality, by better assessing and diagnosing infections, prescribing antibiotics, and training families, specifically mothers, to continue medical care for children once returned home. The hospital was able to use small specialized groups to increase efficiency, accuracy, and decrease the infant mortality rate in the unit’s catchment area by 30-40% (440).
Opperman, Stephanie Baker. “Using ‘Public Health Crossings’ to Create Community-Based Rural Healthcare in Mexico: The Case of Two Health Centres in Xochimilco.” Bulletin of Latin American Research, Volume 38, Issue 1, 2019, pp. 35-49.
This study examines the establishment of health centres in Xochimilco, Mexico during the 1930s and 1940s, and onward, the larger public health changes taking place in Mexico. The two separate rural health centres in Xochimilco which were built between 1935 and 1947 (Opperman 1) led to the Mexican government collaborating with outside agencies and locals in order to educate, as well as implement hygiene and health care in rural Mexico. All of social, cultural, and economic goals were reached by the sanitation access provided. This is demonstrated by the consequences of the Mexican Revolution, at which time isolated areas received emergency health care intervention. Towards the end of the revolution, the gap between urban and rural areas was a problem, which caused mortality rates to be higher in rural areas (Opperman 3). This intervention led to the development of vital health training programmes in rural areas.
Shepherd, Terry L., et al. “Special Education in Mexico: One Community’s Response.” Teaching Exceptional Children, vol. 34, no. 5, May 2002, pp. 8–11,
doi:10.1177/004005990203400501.
In the past, Mexico, as a developing country, has struggled to support the needs of people with disabilities. Because of economic instability and religious values that view a disability as God’s judgment of people, families have found it hard to find support for their disabled children. This attitude has changed recently with programs like Centre for Multiple Attention (CAM) becoming more popular. CAM works hard to support and educate children with different disabilities who want to learn. In this paper, researchers talked about the CAM program in place in Nuevo Laredo, a town in the province of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Through different workshops this school trains disabled children to bring out their abilities. For example, in the last 5 years, CAM has successfully placed 5 to 6 students per year in assembly line type work. With this specialized focus, these children have been able to integrate into society and become self-sufficient and valuable citizens (9).
Urquieta-Salomón, José E., and Héctor J. Villarreal. “Evolution of Health Coverage in Mexico: Evidence of Progress and Challenges in the Mexican Health System.” Health Policy and Planning, vol. 31, no. 1, 2016, pp. 28-36.
Over the last twenty years, Mexico has worked to provide its citizens with equal access to medicine by attempting to erase the inequalities in the health-care system. This goal allows individuals in unprotected populations to get proper medical coverage. Since this issue became a target for the government to fix, there has been an increase in access to effective health-care services. To understand the improvement within Mexico’s public health, this paper talks about the variety of resources supplied for supporting maternal and child needs. Between 2006 and 2012, a focus for providing mothers and children with these services was needed to help encourage healthy living (Urquieta-Salomón and Villarreal 31). Researchers say that access to health insurance coverage rose by 50%, and child vaccinations increased by 80% within these six years (33). Other countries can use Mexico’s plan as an example of promoting better public health policies which can help eliminate social differences among citizens.
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