- The IMSS Historical Archive houses documents such as the first affiliation credential and even the contract that Diego Rivera signed to paint the murals of the La Raza National Medical Center.
- In total there are more than 25,000 files and 50,000 photographs and all are open to both medical personnel and the general public.
- There is currently a digitization program that adds more than 20,000 converted documents, to protect them and provide a faster service to the public.
The 80 years of history of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) are protected and organized in the Historical Archive, also known as the Ignacio García Téllez Single Information Center. This is a fundamental part not only for the health union but for the entire country due to the relevance of the documents.
Where is it located and who can consult it?
It is located under the esplanade of the Congress Unit of the Siglo XXI National Medical Center (CMN) in Mexico City. And most importantly, admission is free. Therefore it can be consulted by both medical personnel and the general public.
Marco Antonio Orozco Zuarthhead of the Document Administration division, belonging to the Administration Directorate, explained that since the 1985 earthquake, the concentration of historical information on Social Security was carried out in this place, which was scattered in various parts of the country .
“We have documents from before the creation of the Institute, founding documents and over the years all the development that our institution has had, in 25 thousand files that refer to the history of the IMSS, 50 thousand photographs, around 5 thousand books specialized in social security, plans, posters, video material”.
What does the IMSS Historical Archive contain?
This place houses emblematic papers such as the blueprint for the creation of Social Security, the first payroll to be issued, the first affiliation credential, the first person to whom the pension benefit was granted, the first agreements of the Technical Council and even the contract signed by Diego Rivera to paint the murals of the La Raza National Medical Center.
Orozco Zuarth explained that there are three types of documents in terms of their classification; those of immediate administrative verification that are disincorporated annually in the same areas that generate them; those that must be kept during the period indicated by the regulations and that are sent to the Central Archive of Concentration; and those that have a secondary value that must be permanently stored in the Historical Archive and become the Documentary Heritage of the institution.
#IMSS makes its entire history available to visitors in 25,000
files and 50 thousand photographs in the Historical Archive.https://t.co/rsQotNKkRj pic.twitter.com/NOHITuwyTu— IMSS (@Your_IMSS) February 19, 2023
For his part, Jaime Troche Almanza, responsible for the IMSS Historical Archivehighlighted that there is a digitization program to protect the documents and also provide a faster service to the public.
“We have more than 20,000 digitized documents, which are the ones we move the most and are asked for the most, but the program is permanent and we have the project to digitize the entire collection.”
He stressed that Social Security is one of the few institutions that has a specific file in which its history can be consulted, and that this area did not stop operating during the pandemic, thanks to the fact that the general public and researchers were served by mail. electronic, cell phone, and through digitized documents.
“We always invite the general public to learn about the history of the IMSS and every time someone comes they fall in love with the institutional history. The public sees us outside as the ambulance, the doctor, the nurse and the hospital, but within our Historical Heritage they will discover a diversity of documentation”.
Among the challenges in this area for 2023 are to intensify the dissemination of the historical catalog through exhibitions, provide information for future publications, and facilitate access to the catalog either in physical or digital format.
Also read:
Historic feat: IMSS uses the Da Vinci Robot for the first time in Jehovah’s Witness
IMSS has received 610 Cuban doctors of these specialties
This is the price of IMSS medical services for outpatients