Mexico is preparing forums on health starting next Saturday since health is one of the key factors that have lowered poverty, Undersecretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell announced today.

Mexico City.- The high-ranking official wrote in La Jornada newspaper that, with the disappearance of Seguro Popular -which was ghostly because it did not solve anything- many Mexicans do not know that they have a universal right to access health services.

He added that free medical care has been a priority for the government, and to collectively think about what is next for the health system, the Special Commission for the Elaboration of the National Project to deepen the Transformation defined that one of its main axes would be health and food.

This, he further wrote, responds to a comprehensive vision that goes beyond individual medical care and considers disease prevention, access to healthy food, water, safe workplaces, and the environment as essential.

For this reason, he announced, from August 19 to 27, nine forums will be held nationwide with the participation of diverse actors from academia, government, and society, as this is a multifactorial issue that must be addressed with the broadest participation of the people.

These events are open spaces to collectively build the health agenda for the period 2024-2030, which, necessarily, must start from the principle of guaranteeing this right from the State. (PL)