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The Mexican Seguro Popular project is a government healthcare initiative with broad political support, which aims to provide social security benefits to underprivileged members of the population. In place since 2004, it is considered the basis for the wider implementation of social support throughout Mexico.
Mexico has a large population of 107 million inhabitants. The “Seguro Popular” program addresses inhabitants who receive no healthcare benefits by providing them with subsidies for medicine and medical care.
The scale of the project was one of the first challenges to address. To set up a system able to support millions, there was a pressing need to establish a means of identification that was portable, secure, auditable and usable, especially addressing individuals with no bank account. It was also essential to eradicate fraud from the start.
In addition, the project was under strong scrutiny. For the Mexican government, the Seguro Popular project was the first step of a larger new countrywide eHealthcare program aimed at securely storing patient information, ensuring citizens get the correct healthcare benefits and reducing paper-based administration.
As part of this objective, Seguro Popular began implementation of an eHealthcare smart card-based solution in early 2006.
They gave each of the families in the Seguro Popular program a card for use
by the whole household. The head of the house was clearly identified on the
front of the card, and the list of beneficiaries on the back, thus covering the
people in the program.
Each time a cardholder visited their doctor, important patient information could
be securely accessed and additional medical information added in real time, thus
reducing fraud and the costs of administration.
Allynis Issuance Services, Gemalto’s local production and
personalization services linked with a strong partnership with the integrator,
Image Technology Mexico, ensured a smooth integration into Seguro Popular's
ground-breaking healthcare program.
The Sealys Health Insurance Cards, based on Gemalto technology,
were first deployed in March 2006 and contain an e-purse, patient information
and prescriptions. The information can only be read by authorized healthcare
professionals once the card is inserted into a reader, also part of the wider
Gemalto solution for eHealthcare.
This ensures privacy of confidential data and better control over healthcare
payment and subsidies.
The secured card includes high security features - such as UV printing, laser
engraving, guilloche, rainbow effects and green fluorescent ink.
These enhanced security features make the card virtually impossible to alter,
forge or duplicate.
Mexican patients, healthcare professionals and the Seguro Popular
organization will shortly see the benefits through cost reduction, secured
personal data and the correct distribution of healthcare rights to Mexicans.
In the first six months of 2006, Gemalto delivered over 3.7 million smart cards to Seguro Popular.
Mexican patients, healthcare professionals and the Seguro Popular organization will shortly see the benefits through cost reduction, secured personal data and the correct distribution of healthcare rights to Mexicans.