A Perspective from Mexico

As Binder et al. describe in their article in this issue of the Journal, most of the work of National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) falls into the category of public goods. This is certainly true for the National Institute of Public Health (Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica (INSP)) of Mexico. Our mission is to contribute to social equity by improving public health in Mexico and Latin America, through the generation of knowledge, innovation in health systems, and public health training. At INSP, we believe that public health is a collective responsibility and that the state has a primary role in promoting and protecting the population's health. Binder et al. have performed a service by drawing attention to the importance of NPHIs and the challenges associated with funding public goods functions.