Sonia Corona
Anyone who has received care at a hospital or clinic run by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) knows exactly what the workers protesting in the streets of Mexico City in recent days are talking about: marathon waits, medicine shortages, dilapidated facilities, and understaffing. It is a long-standing story.
Mexico—Latin America’s second-largest economy—possesses a model social security system that other nations might envy, yet it lacks the resources to stay afloat, operating instead on a shoestring. The tragedy of the IMSS lies in its contradictions: its hospitals may be staffed by highly qualified, experienced medical professionals, yet they often lack the equipment needed to save a life.
The IMSS is responsible for the care of 78 million people nationwide, though only 23 million actually pay the weekly contributions that keep the state healthcare system from faltering. [MV Note: The remaining majority are "informal workers" who work daily for cash. Their participation in the IMSS system is subsidized by the government.] And yet, falter it does, and has for a long time.
Founded in 1943 by President Manuel Ávila Camacho, Mexico’s social security system was an ambitious plan designed not only to address the population's health needs but also to cover workplace accidents, pensions, and death benefits. At a time when Mexico's population was barely 21 million—compared to today’s 130 million—the IMSS was envisioned as a way to strengthen labor rights in vision of the Mexican Revolution [1910-17]. Over the decades, the number of affiliated workers has grown, but the institution’s capacity to provide care has failed to keep pace.
The marches by IMSS workers may come as a surprise to those who do not use the system's services. The primary reason for the protests has been the negotiation by Rafael Olivos Hernández, president of the in representing over 400,000 workers, of a collective bargaining agreement that oincludes a direct wage increase of 2.9%, which is below the 3.45% inflation rate.
The mobilization is also highlighting the shortage of medicines—a problem plaguing the entire public health system—and the institution's general deterioration. Nothing new there. Although Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration favors public policies aimed at social well-being, the IMSS is barely scraping by, even as it adds new members every month.
Beyond the institutional issues, the lives of those treated in IMSS hospitals hang in the balance. There are the 18 newborns who died in an Intensive Care Unit in Guadalajara after contracting two bacterial infections. On the other hand, there the successful heart transplant that 48-year-old Omar received just last week at the La Raza hospital in Mexico City.
The contrasts in care received within the IMSS are stark: it might keep you waiting months for a crucial test only to provide the most accurate diagnosis, or treat you at a highly specialized hospital in the capital equipped with state-of-the-art technology, while assigning someone else to a clinic in Nezahualcóyotl City [immediately east of Mexico City, population over 1 milion] that lacks both equipment and supplies. The list goes on and on.
The United States—Mexico’s neighbor, largest trading partner and one of the world’s most competitive economies—lacks a public healthcare system for workers. The healthcare bills and insurance costs that residents must cover out of pocket are notorious. Yet, just across its southern border, Mexico maintains a bulwark of labor rights and healthcare.
Now, the IMSS is taking action at the ground level. Its director, Zoé Robledo, has announced an assessment of 277 treatment centers to identify and address operational shortcomings.
If Mexico’s puhlic healthcare system were a patient of the Mexican government, it would certainly need to be admitted to the emergency room.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sonia Corona is a journalist for EL PAÍS in Mexico. She previously served as head of the newsroom. She covers politics, the economy, technology, and the environment. She was a special correspondent for the 2020 US presidential election. She has worked at Reforma and The Huffington Post. She holds a Bachelors degree in Communication from the Universidad de las Américas Puebla and a Master’s degree in Journalism from EL PAÍS.