Background on Zoé Robledo and the IMSS
Zoé Robledo, the General Director of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), has highlighted significant advancements in hospital bed capacity during the current administration’s tenure. Under the Fourth Transformation, which spans two six-year terms, the IMSS aims to double the number of hospital beds compared to the previous neoliberal governments’ six six-year terms. In 12 years, the IMSS plans to provide 10,100 beds, a substantial increase from the 4,300 beds available over 36 years of neoliberal rule.
Progress and Future Expansion
Between 2018 and 2024, the IMSS added 3,944 hospital beds. In the current administration’s term so far, an additional 776 beds have been incorporated. The target is to reach 6,173 new beds by 2030, which would be double the previous six-sexenio period’s total.
Robledo emphasized that during the foundational era of the IMSS (1943-1982), 29,500 beds were established. However, between 1982 and 2018, only 4,300 beds were added despite the growth in beneficiaries. This backlog explains prolonged waiting times and hospital saturation at various periods.
The ultimate goal is to reach 45,000 beds by 2030, an increase of 10,000 beds for social security care. The IMSS director stated, “When we recover what is public, we start growing again based on the growth of beneficiaries and in areas where it’s most needed.”
Recent Hospital Inaugurations and Upcoming Openings
Under Robledo’s leadership, the IMSS has inaugurated five hospitals during this administration: Ciudad Juárez (Chihuahua), Ensenada (Baja California), Tuxtla Gutiérrez (Chiapas), Carmen Serdán (Puebla), and Zaragoza (Mexico City).
Six more hospitals are set to open in the coming months, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, specialized services, and full staff rosters. These new facilities will strengthen infrastructure in strategic regions.
Specific Hospital Updates
- Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche: The Gineco-Pediatría Hospital No. 15 is 99% complete with 74 beds (38 hospital and 36 non-censable), three operating rooms, and 12 specialties. Equipment includes a mammography machine, ultrasound, X-ray, clinical laboratory, displasia clinic, and intensive care units for adults, pediatrics, and neonates.
- Hermosillo, Sonora: The General Hospital Zone (HGZ) No. 15 “Ramos Bours” will have 115 beds (90 hospital and 25 non-censable), five operating rooms, and 28 specialties. It will feature a CT scanner, MRI, ultrasound, mammography, ICU, clinical laboratory, metabolic control unit, and inhalation therapy. The staff will number 1,476.
- Navojoa, Sonora: The HGZ has 94% infrastructure completion with 164 beds (90 hospital and non-censable), a CT scanner, mammography, X-ray, breast clinics, and 29 specialties. Specialist physician and nurse recruitment is underway.
- Guanajuato: The HGZ replacement project, which previously had only 20 beds, now aims for 120 beds (72 censable). The project is 79% complete, and external consultations will begin soon in five specialties: psychiatry, nephrology, oncology, geriatrics, and infectology.
- Tula de Allende, Hidalgo: The new hospital on refinery land has a Family Medicine Unit operational since September 2023, replacing the old hospital with 40 beds. The new facility will have 144 hospital and 154 non-censable beds, coordinating with IMSS Wellbeing to serve both social security and non-security beneficiaries.
- Ticul, Yucatán: The HGZ is 74% complete with 94 beds (70 hospital and 24 non-censable), three operating rooms, and 14 specialties. Equipment will include a CT scanner, mammography, ultrasound, X-ray, hemodialysis machines, clinical laboratory, breast clinic, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and ICUs for adults.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the IMSS? The Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) is a Mexican government agency responsible for social security, providing medical care and pensions to workers and their families.
- Why is the IMSS increasing hospital beds? The IMSS aims to double hospital bed capacity to address historical backlogs and accommodate growing beneficiary numbers, ensuring better access to healthcare services.
- Which hospitals have recently been inaugurated or are set to open? Recently opened hospitals include those in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; Ensenada, Baja California; Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas; Carmen Serdán, Puebla; and Zaragoza, Mexico City. Six more hospitals in Campeche, Sonora, Navojoa, Sonora, Guanajuato, and Ticul, Yucatán are set to open soon.
- What equipment and services will these new hospitals have? The new hospitals will feature state-of-the-art technology, specialized services, and full staff rosters. Equipment includes CT scanners, MRIs, ultrasound machines, mammography units, ICUs, clinical laboratories, and hemodialysis machines.
