Ángeles Cruz Martínez
La Jornada Newspaper
Monday, November 4, 2024, p. 8
The evaluation of clinics and hospitals to certify the quality of services was suspended until further notice
by the General Health Council (CSG), which considered that the Single Quality Evaluation Model (MUEC), designed during the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has not produced results.
After a year of MUEC work, in which 306 medical units participated, 17 obtained the certificate last September. At that time it was explained that the evaluation includes a series of requirements that are not simple
but they have the main objective of guaranteeing patient safety.
In addition to the infrastructure and personnel conditions, medical establishments had to present their basic documents, including the health license, which many did not have in force.
Last Thursday, with Patricia Clark as the new general secretary of the CSG, an extraordinary and urgent session was held, which resulted in the suspension of the MUEC.
According to information obtained by The Daythe CSG determined that a new evaluation model is required, the design of which will be in charge of Enrique Ruelas Barajas, former secretary general of the CSG (2006-2011) and former undersecretary of Innovation and Quality (2000-2006), specialist in quality in health.
The MUEC was designed with the purpose of guaranteeing quality standards in public and private medical services in the country.
The programs that in the past were carried out by the CSG for the certification of hospitals, and, on the other hand, the Directorate of Quality and Health Education to accredit the services of health centers and hospitals that serve people without social security were joined.
Since 2023, it was established in the General Health Law that medical units dependent on IMSS-Wellbeing would seek quality certification through the MUEC.
The objective is to guarantee that clinics and hospitals comply with the quality and safety conditions for patients, and the fact that the majority of participants in the first exercise were not approved was also due to the fact that there was no need or obligation of certification, but the will to do so was identified.
In Mexico there are more than 120 thousand public and private establishments and the expectation was that all of them would participate in the MUEC, which is a voluntary program. Coordination is in charge of the CSG, with the support of the General Directorate of Quality and Health Education of the Ministry of Health.
Now, the exercise was suspended. The new evaluation process was going to begin last Friday with the opening of the call and registrations were going to take place from November 1 to December 18.
