Trends in Medical Employment: Persistent Imbalances in Urban Mexico

Abstract

During the last quarter century, the social institution of medicine has experienced a series of imbalances that threaten its potential contribution to the solution of health problems. In many countries, such imbalances have found their extreme expression in the coexistence of doctors without employment and populations without medical service. Mexico is one of those countries. As of 1995, 11% of the population still lacked access even to basic health care, while thousands of physicians were unemployed or underemployed.

In this context, two national surveys of medical employment were carried out in support of research and policy-making. The results of the 1986 survey have been reported in the Journal; this article focuses on the 1993 survey. Having two points in time makes it possible to ascertain trends. Furthermore, it is possible to consider the effects of policies to control the supply of physicians that were implemented between the surveys. This case study can offer lessons to other countries struggling with similar problems.