ECONOMICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE EPIDEMIOLOGI C PROFILE CHANGE - INFORMATION FOR HEALTH-CARE REFORMS

Taking into account the information needed to implement the reform pro cess of the health sector, we present the results of an analysis of co sts and the financial consequences of the epidemiological change of fo ur tracer diseases in Mexico, two chronic (diabetes and hypertension) and two infections diseases (pneumonias and diarrheas). The hospital c ost-case management of diabetes expected for 1998 represents the same amount of hospital and ambulatory case management of diarrheas and pne umonias for the same year. The internal competition for resource alloc ations that is expected, among other factors, is one of the results th at permits the argument that changes in the epidemiological profile ge nerate financial consequences in the planning and implementing of stru ctural reforms of the health systems, particularly with regards to the patterns of resource allocation for specific health programs.