The national care system It continues to be built in the Chamber of Deputies, although without more economic resources or follow-up in the Senate. The plenary in San Lázaro unanimously approved in general a reform so that, in their old age, workers in the service of the State receive care in a day house. The provision will be compulsory.
There is a need to have decent spaces that provide comprehensive care to the elderly population“while their families carry out work or other activities,” said deputy Ivonne Cisneros Luján (Morena), author of the initiative.
“I’m sure with this new featureduly established, the budget to create more houses will be progressively increased”, confided the legislator, president of the Social Security Commission of the Lower House.
However, the discussion of the opinion was extended after deputy Griselda Medina (Morena) presented a reservation to ensure that “no additional resources will be authorized.” The obligations of the Social Security and Services Institute for State Workers (ISSSTE) “will be subject to the budget availability”, he pointed out in a second transitory article, a proposal that was approved by a majority.
The reform went to the Senate to end the legislative process. If they approve it in said Chamber, then it would only remain for the federal Executive to publish the decree for it to enter into force.
In the country there 742 public centers of comprehensive care for adults and older adults who are not ISSSTE beneficiaries, and are defined as shelters, stays or day residences. Those administered by this body are called day housesbut they also provide gerontological care.
Who cares for the elderly?
Care activities have fallen disproportionately on women, widening inequalities in the economic, social and labor spheres, points out Ivonne Cisneros in the explanatory statement of the project. At the same time, older adults They have the right to be cared for, she adds.
The reform modifies article 4 of the Law of the Institute of Security and Social Services of State Workers. Said order mentions the mandatory benefits and servicesin subsection e it will say that one of them is the “Day Homes for the Elderly”.
The economic value of housework and care work is 6.4 billion pesos, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi). Which represents 27.6% of the Domestic Product (GDP) in one year. Women take care of almost 75% of all the tasks that this job entails.
This situation “prevents women from using their time freely and voluntarily, in addition to representing a unpaid work overloadinvisible, undervalued”, maintains the legislator.
At the beginning of 2022, more than 18.3 million people they declared themselves unavailable to look for a job because they already had an unpaid job at home, taking care of other people. Of these, more than 17.3 million are women, that is, 95%, according to the National Survey of Occupation and Employment (ENOE).
Advances and brakes in the National Care System
In December 2021, the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies approved a reform to article 3 of the Law on the Rights of Older Adults (LDPAM). The new wording indicates that the federal, state and municipal governments must “promote the creation of shelters and day residences” for this population.
A year earlier, in November 2020, that same chamber reformed the articles 4 and 73 of the Constitution and established the obligation of the State to promote co-responsibility in care between women, men, the State itself and companies.
The reform orders Congress to enact a general law on the subject of National System of Care. Both legislative changes were sent to the Senate, where they remain in the freezer.
In Mexico, more than 15.1 million people are over 60 years old. “Aging in our country will represent one of the great challenges in the coming decades,” said Deputy Ivonne Cisneros.
More than 1.2 million workers in the service of the State have already managed to retire, 61% are women and 39% are men, according to the ruling. The ISSSTE, details the deputy, has 21 day houses in 17 entities, where they serve more than 18,000 beneficiaries.