AMLO’s budget cuts to the Public Health sector caused a lack of basic supplies in hospitals that significantly affect patients and doctors in Mexico. For example, the AMLO government did 20 million fewer clinical laboratory studies than Peña Nieto, which affects 5.7 million patients.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador left half of the poorest patients in the country without medical consultations and stopped doing 20 million laboratory studies , in comparison with the previous six-year term.
Additionally, half a million more people were unable to get a surgery they needed, and thousands of cases ended up in casualties.
Under the pretext of austerity, the AMLO administration ordered cuts to the main areas of Health or even to services as basic as water (from which they took 39% of its budget) or the maintenance of medical equipment such as X-rays. or sterilizers in the hospitals of the Ministry of Health (from which the Obrador government took 37%).
The AMLO administration has made cuts to important areas such as health under the guise of austerity. These cuts have affected even basic services like water, which had 39% of its budget taken away. Additionally, the government has reduced the funding for maintenance of medical equipment such as X-rays and sterilizers in the hospitals under the Ministry of Health by 37%.
The result: the number of consultations in the services offered by the Health Secretariat went from 95 million in 2018 to 51 million in 2022. A drop of 44 million, that is, 46% fewer consultations for those who do not have social security, as official figures show.
According to official figures, the number of consultations provided by the Health Secretariat’s services decreased from 95 million in 2018 to 51 million in 2022. This represents a significant drop of 46% or 44 million fewer consultations for individuals without social security.
The declining numbers in health services are recorded in almost all areas.
There were 14% fewer surgeries between 2018 and 2021, which means 500,000 fewer operations, like that of Margarita, 77, who needed a hip intervention, but had to wait three years to have it; or Sonia, who had to pay 80 thousand pesos in a private hospital after breaking her arm because, after 10 days of waiting, they did not operate on her.
Between 2018 and 2021, there has been a 14% decrease in the number of surgeries, resulting in 500,000 fewer operations. This means people like Margarita, 77 years old, who needed a hip intervention had to wait for three years before having the operation. Similarly, Sonia had to pay 80,000 pesos to get her arm treated in a private hospital, after waiting for 10 days,Between 2018 and 2021, there was a 14% decrease in the number of surgeries, resulting in 500,000 fewer operations being performed. This has led to longer waiting times for patients like Margarita, a 77-year-old who had to wait for three years to receive a hip intervention. Similarly, Sonia had to pay 80,000 pesos to receive treatment for her arm at a private hospital after waiting for 10 days, as the public hospital did not have the capacity to operate on her. because the public hospital did not operate on her.
Consequences of AMLO’s government austerity on Health
In addition, since the first year of the six-year term, there was an 82% cut for laboratory materials, accessories and supplies in the institutions of the Ministry of Health , this meant 654 million pesos less in 2019 compared to 2018 in real terms.
Austerity resulted in AMLO’s government doing 20 million fewer clinical laboratory studies than Enrique Peña Nieto’s government, affecting 5.7 million patients. Austerity measures under AMLO’s government led to 20 million fewer clinical laboratory tests being performed compared to Peña Nieto’s government. This impacted 5.7 million patients.
In the ISSSTE ,In ISSSTE, the budget for “medical materials, accessories and supplies” has been reduced by 23%. This budget includes basic medical items such as syringes, gauze, needles, bandages, suture material, spatulas, lenses, lancets, scalpel blades, and prostheses in general. In 2018, the budget for this category was 2,418 million pesos, but for 2024, it has been reduced to 1 billion 867 thousand pesos, which means a reduction of 551 million pesos. the item of “medical materials, accessories and supplies” that includes such basic aspects as syringes, gauze, needles, bandages, suture material, spatulas, lenses, lancets, scalpel blades, and prostheses in general, had a 23% cut . While in 2018 it spent 2,418 million pesos, in 2024 it will have 1 billion 867 thousand pesos; that is, 551 million pesos less.
Although the country has never had an effective Public Health system, complaints from patients and protests by health personnel over the poor situation in medical care have been recurrent in the current six-year term, while the government presumes the application of a policy of austerity in all sectors,Although the country has never had an effective healthcare system, complaints from patients and protests by health personnel over the poor situation in medical care have been recurrent in the current six-year term. Meanwhile, the government is implementing a policy of austerity in all sectors, including healthcare. including health.
How much impact does it have to not have test strips for diabetes patients, if an ultrasound machine does not work or if the elevators have faults? Could it delay surgeries if doctors do not even have sutures or scalpels, or if an operating room is disabled due to lack of maintenance? How many patients stop being treated due to a lack of equipment? Is not buying supplies saving?How much of an impact does it have when test strips are not available for diabetic patients, the ultrasound machine is not working, or the elevators have faults? Could it lead to delays in surgeries if doctors do not have sutures or scalpels, or if an operating room is disabled due to lack of maintenance? How many patients are unable to receive treatment due to a shortage of equipment? Is it really cost-effective to cut corners by not purchasing necessary supplies?
In this investigation, Animal Político analyzed the health budget in such specific budget items as supplies, laboratory instruments, equipment repair andIn this investigation, Animal Político analyzed the health budget for specific items such as supplies, laboratory instruments, equipment repair, and even stationery to verify if austerity affected daily hospital work. even stationery, to verify if austerity had had an impact on the daily work of hospitals.
Animal Político sought an interview with Health Secretary Jorge Alcocer, and asked the agency for a position after giving him the cut calculations, but there was no response.
How far is Mexico’s health system from Denmark’s?
The first time that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that Mexico would have a health system like the one in Denmark, was in November 2018, four days before taking office, but he repeated the promise 39 more times over five years.
In November 2018, four days before taking office, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised that Mexico would have a health system similar to those in Nordic countries. However, he repeated this promise 39 more times over the course of five years, the last time being in November 2023. Despite his vow, he postponed the implementation date yet again and stated that by March 2024, the best public health system in the world would be operational.
He also added that his opponents might criticize them, but it wouldn’t deter their efforts. The last time was in November 2023 and he again postponed the date: “In March (2024) we have resolved the issue. We are going to have the best public health system in the world working, even if my adversaries mock us,” he said.
Reality confirms the opposite .
Last year, a bricklayer fell from a moving passenger bus .A bricklayer fell from a moving passenger bus last year, causing a severe blow to his head. He required urgent surgery, but unfortunately, there was no hospital in Milpa Alta, where the accident occurred, that could perform the operation. As a result, he was transferred to Balbuena General Hospital. The blow to the head was so severe that it required urgent surgery, but in Milpa Alta, where the accident occurred, there was no hospital that could do it, so they transferred him to the Balbuena General Hospital.
They did indeed perform the surgery, but days later, when the neurosurgeon Érika Cano returned from vacation and examined the patient, she realized that the wound had been closed only with medical silk, that is, it had not been sewn, which is why it was opening. and he had an exposed brain mass, which was causing an infection that made him give off an unbearable odor. The surgery was performed as expected. However, after a few days, the patient was examined by neurosurgeon Érika Cano, who had just returned from vacation. Upon examination, she discovered that the wound had only been closed with medical silk and not sewn, which caused it to reopen. As a result, the patient had an exposed brain mass that was infected, causing an unbearable stench.
The doctor, furious, asked why they had closed only with silk and the answer was: “There were no more sutures.” Cano got the sutures and operated on the man again. Thanks to that, he recovered his central vision, although he lost his peripheral vision, and after five months of rehabilitation he hasThe story goes that a doctor performed a surgery on a man and closed the wound with silk sutures. However, the doctor later found out that silk sutures were not appropriate for the surgery and reacted angrily when he found out. When asked why he used silk sutures, the doctor was told that there were no other sutures available at the time. The doctor then managed to get the right sutures and performed a corrective surgery on the man. Although the man lost his peripheral vision, he was able to regain his central vision and after five months of rehabilitation, he was able to walk again. walked again.
A suture made the difference between life and death for a person.
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