A First Approximation to an Overview of Damages to Health and Resources Available for Medical Care in the Chalco Valley

Abstract

This paper begins with a review of the main sociodemographic features of the context in which the rise of one of the largest irregular human settlements of Mexico took place at the end of the 1970s, namely, the Chalco Valley.

Next, an overview is presented of the sanitary conditions under which the inhabitants of the settlement live, on the basis of information compiled by health aides working in the zone (known as Oprodiaps) for the neighborhoods covered by the State of Mexico Health Institute (Instituto de Salud del Estado de Mexico, or ISEM).

The author then indicates the current status of local resources for health care and the main causes of appointments for the outpatients treated at institutions belonging to the public sector, concluding with some considerations as to courses to be followed in order to continue to delve more deeply into health problems and their relationship to the socioeconomic, ecologic, and cultural context of the Chalco Valley.