Governor Rutilio Escandón Cadenas led the incorporation ceremony of the Hearts Initiative’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system in Chiapas, where he highlighted that in addition to investing in the overall improvement of infrastructure and strengthening specialized equipment and technology in clinics and hospitalsyour government joins efforts with institutions and organizations, with the aim of guaranteeing the human right to health of the population of Chiapas.
During the award ceremony 10 health districts for their collaboration in the Hearts in the Americas initiative, in the first level care units of Chiapasthe president maintained that the commitment is that the 1,990 medical units, both in urban and rural areas of the state, participate in this type of sensitive actions, in order to end the inequality gap in terms of cardiovascular health and to obtain specialized, dignified and quality services to take care of all without distinction.
“We are not going to spare our resources, because we are convinced that the best investment is the one made in the field of health, because it is to prevent, treat and save people’s lives, but it is also to pay for progress of the entity. Chiapas’ health system has been abandoned for many yearsbut we have assumed the commitment to transform it, because by carrying it out we will be able to be an example in this national dynamic and say that the well-being of Mexico is a reality”, he stressed.
After coming together to work in unity to carry this initiative that promotes the prevention and timely management of heart disease in the population, especially in the most vulnerable sectors, Escandón Cadenas recognized the professional and human performance of health workersin the fight against the pandemic, and diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, among others.
The director of the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control Programs of the Federal Ministry of Health, Ruy López Ridaura, acknowledged the impetus that Governor Rutilio Escandón gave to this program, while emphasize that Chiapas is the one that has made the most progress in these tasks which seek to link the three levels of disease management cardiovascular, with the aim that the Heart Attack Code has a more dynamic response.
“Every time we see more enthusiasm in Chiapas; anow there are conditions because the entity has a reinforced system. We must work together to see a decline in cardiovascular disease soon and for people to see this care within reach. I am convinced that Chiapas will teach us a lot in the implementation of this program”, he expressed.
In his speech, the Secretary of Health, José Manuel Cruz Castellanos, reported that this initiative is currently implemented in 99 medical units, with 9,467 patients, equip the units with specialized equipment to carry out different studies, with an investment of just over 25 million pesos.
“The health of the population is a priority, This is why we adopt the best practices in the prevention and care of cardiovascular diseases, access to medicines and technologies.detection, prevention and management of acute myocardial infarction, which places Chiapas as the first state in the country to bring this type of initiative to all health districts,” he pointed out.
The International Advisor for Health Systems and Services of WHO/PAHO Mexico, Armando De Negri Filho, distinguished the strategies used in Chiapas to strengthen health services, which has generated, he said, great results and greater proximity to the needs of the population. “Faced with a constant threat to health, they have established protocols to deal with it, avoiding inequalities. The challenge in 2023 and 2024 is significant, because health services represent the well-being of people”.
In turn, the vice-president of the State Congress Health and Assistance Commission, Martha Verónica Alcázar Corderoapplauded this initiative, which will provide the tools that will allow the Chiapas health service to continue to grow and improve, and expressed gratitude for the efforts made by the state government in the health sector.
Ultimately, the specialist in cardiology, attached to the National Institute of Cardiology Doctor Ignacio Chávez, Patricio Heriberto Ortiz Fernándezstressed that for operational staff it is important to work together around people’s health, for which he thanked the state government for this program that will help prevent diseases derived from hypertension and reduce the mortality rate.
Were present: the commander of the VII Military Region, Armando Montaño Ponce; the representative of the XVI Naval Zone based in Puerto Chiapas, Francisco de la Paz Molina Villa Lobos; the vice-president of the Treasury Commission of the State Congress, Felipe de Jesús Granda Pastrana; the Commissioner of Medical Conciliation and Arbitration of the State of Chiapas, Ariosto Coutiño Niño; the medical specialist attached to the Directorate of Adult and Elderly Health, Miguel Ángel Díaz Aguilera.
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