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On the occasion of World Osteoporosis Day, Dr Philippe Halbout, CEO of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), advocated for secondary prevention of fractures in front of authorities and representatives of the health commission of the Mexican senate, health organizations and professionals, and the general public.
Osteoporosis and fragility fractures in Mexico are a public health problem that affects millions of Mexicans and has implications not only in the health sector but also in the economic and social sectors at the national level. According to national statistics, it is estimated that 1 in 12 Mexican women and 1 in 20 Mexican men over the age of 50 will suffer a hip fracture.
With the aim of improving the outlook for the care of osteoporosis and its subsequent fractures, the Mexican Association of Bone and Mineral Metabolism (AMMOM) held a virtual and open legislative forum, in cooperation with the Senate of the Republic of Mexico, in which health authorities, members of the Senate health Commission, representatives of organizations, as well as specialists and key stakeholders, called for action for the proper management of osteoporosis at the national level.
The forum "Comprehensive care and prevention of fractures due to osteoporosis in Mexico" was held on October 20th on the occasion of World Osteoporosis Day. The meeting was shared live on AMMOM's Facebook channel and replicated on the social media channels of IOF Latin America.
From the Senate Health Committee, Senator Lilia Margarita Valdez, representative of the committee and promoter of the forum, highlighted her commitment to the health of Mexican women and the need to work together to achieve an agenda with health authorities to prevent bone disease. In turn, Senator Américo Villareal Anaya, president of the Health Commission of the Senate, expressed his commission's willingness to work in the field of bone health in a spirit of prevention and health promotion.
Dr Philippe Halbout participated as a guest speaker to discuss secondary fracture prevention from a global perspective. In his presentation "Relevance of Secondary Fracture Prevention, a global perspective and the initiative in Mexico" he highlighted the role of IOF as the world's leading organization dedicated to osteoporosis and the fight against fragility fractures. He stated, "We really believe that we have to change health policies if we want to implement long-term solutions to address osteoporosis and fragility fractures."
Dr Halbout referred to the IOF Capture the Fracture® program and to Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) as the proven solution to preventing second fractures. In addition, he especially highlighted the work of the group of Mexican mentors who support the creation of new FLSs and the effectiveness and long-term sustainability of existing services. At the end of his speech, he addressed all those present and stated "The IOF is an indispensable actor in the solution to this problem. I hope that in the future we can strengthen our collaboration through the Capture the Fracture® program to support the creation of FLS at the national level. We have patients suffering from fractures and, at the end of the day, we are all working towards the same goal: to improve the quality of care and follow-up of patients with fragility fractures."
The one and a half-hour long forum also included the following presentations that reinforced the call to action:
- Osteoporosis, a health problem that requires strategies, public policies and intersectoral participation for its care - Dr. José Francisco Torres Naranjo, president of AMMOM and mentor of the Capture The Fracture program.
- The legislative commitment to integral health, bone health and the prevention of complications associated with osteoporosis - Senator Lilia Margarita Valdez Martínez, Member of the Health Commission, Senate.
- Epidemiology of fracture and re-fracture in Mexico - Dr. Andrea Olascoaga Gómez de León, Head of the Spine Rehabilitation Service and Osteoporosis Clinic at the National Institute of Rehabilitation and mentor of the Capture The Fracture program.
- Secondary prevention, an opportunity to avoid new fractures - Dr. Roberto López Cervantes, secretary general of the Mexican Association of Bone and Mineral Metabolism A.C. (AMMOM).
- Advancement of commitments: Standardized strategies for the detection and integral treatment of osteoporosis (AMMOM consensus)- Dr. Rolando Espinosa, National Institute of Rehabilitation, Past President of AMMOM.
The meeting ended with the preparation of a call to action with the objective of influencing the public health agenda. The point of agreement seeks to put the comprehensive management and prevention of osteoporotic fractures in Mexico on the agenda of health institutions and to request:
- Updating of Clinical Practice Guidelines in all public health institutions
- Invitation to health institutions to establish Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) according to the IOF Best Practice Framework.
- Promotion among SSa, INSABI, ISSSTE and IMSS authorities of the prevention, timely diagnosis and specific treatment for the population at risk.
On the part of IOF, we urge national societies to act for bone health and influence the formulation of public policies that allow the development of policies and initiatives for the prevention of fragility fractures, the most important clinical consequence of osteoporosis. We thank AMMOM for inviting IOF to this important forum.
> Full recording available