Zoe Robledo general director of Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), reports that there are now 806 Cuban specialist doctors provide consultation in our country.
In the morning conference at the National Palace, one year after the collaboration with the Government of Cuba Robledo Aburto argued that doctors in that country will provide consultation on the system IMSS-Wellness in 16 entities in 36 specialties.
This collaboration has borne fruit so far. A total of 806 specialist doctors have been hired,” he said this morning.
“They are complex specialists, and they are currently serving 16 states in our country, and in hospitals that have not yet had the presence of a specialist doctor, in some cases since their inauguration,” he pointed out.
“This is a unique experience, they are Cuban doctors who save the lives of men and women in Mexico,” added the head of the IMSS.
The states with the most Cuban doctors have Nayarit y Tlaxcala, with 109 and 105 specialists. They followed him Colima (86), Michoacan (71) y Oaxaca (68).
This staff performed 665,194 consultations, 42,600 ultrasounds, 38,600 dialysis sessions, 23,492 operations, 3,212 studies, 1,983 deliveries, 891 cesarean sections, and 592 endoscopies.
The head of the IMSS pointed out in the Treasury Room that the collaboration with the Government of Cuba will continue for at least another year, in addition to reviewing what is the other scope of the agreement.
We will continue to cooperate with the Government of Cuba, so this mission that is now in our country has the purpose that we can establish the extension of this agreement for another year, and not only its extension but also the review . other scopes that may exist,” the federal official explained.
“Because one thing that Cubans contribute is the duty to practice, and there is always a teaching attitude, to share experiences and knowledge, we are really, very grateful,” he added.
The hirings were announced as Mexico has 2.4 doctors per thousand, higher than the average of 2 per thousand inhabitants in Latin America and the Caribbean, but below the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average of 3.5 ( OECD). , according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
The arrival of Cuban doctors in Mexico was the cause controversy since the pandemic because of their costs and the activities they do.
However, the controversy grew in 2022 when the president Andrés Manuel López Obrador signed an agreement to hire at least 500 health workers from Cuba with the argument that the country has a shortage of specialists and guarantees universal health care in the country.
The Government defended the hiring of Cubans by accusing Mexican doctors of not wanting to work in rural or marginalized areas, while health workers responded that there were places they could not work because of violence.
The opposition also argued that the agreement was a compromise between López Obrador and the authoritarian government of the Cuban president, Miguel Diaz-Canel.
