title: [Hygeia and Panacea in health and society. Health systems: a product of social evolution].
abstract: Biomedical and social sciences are getting closer, thus reducing the existing chasm between the social determinants of health and health policy. The determinants such as income, education, health production at home, environment, employment, dietary habits, social support networks, gender, and migration, among others, have a strong and definitive influence on the health state of the population. This paper gains an insight into the influence on the population's health covered by the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) of some of these determinants, such as demographic changes (birth rate decrease, ageing, and increase of temporary migration), economic changes (progressive incorporation of women to the labour market), and lifestyle aspects. These determinants pose economic and ethical dilemmas, among others, that IMSS must solve through its policymaking process. The concept of effective health policy is proposed. This concept includes a comprehensive health policy capable of considering social determinants and epidemiological changes within its inception, and at the same time, it is able to respond to the population's health needs. It is deduced that it is necessary for the health system to implement and evaluate plans and interventions that are structured and consistent with the population's health needs, thus contributing to reduce social inequities.
authors.affiliation: Dirección de Prcstacioncs Médicas, Unidad de Atención Médica Investigación y Politicas de Salud. onofre.munoz@imss.gob.mx
authors.forename: Onofre
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Muñoz-Hernández
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garduño-Espinosa
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pérez-Cuevas
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D006291:Health Policy; D008800:Mexico; D012922:Social Change; D012943:Social Security; D012962:Sociology, Medical