Medical students are at high risk when carrying out their social service in communities

Lilian Hernandez Osorio

La Jornada Newspaper
Monday, December 23, 2024, p. 11

The insecurity that UNAM medical students face during their social service in communities in the country is not recent, but it is more critical.

For a decade, they have had to overcome internal conflicts between communities, as well as violent acts linked to organized crime in places where they carry out their mandatory medical practice to obtain their degree.

Now it cannot be assured that we are sending them to communities where there will not be conflicts, but as soon as one appears, we do take measures immediatelyadmitted the director of this faculty, Ana Carolina Sepúlveda Vildósola, after clarifying that it has already been an average of 10 years since they began to have this type of risk situations for medical students.

The increase in insecurity in social services had already been occurring for several years. In previous years I was in the IMSS and was in charge of this process, that’s why I know that this is an old problem and that it has been around for at least 10 years, but it has been increasing.he acknowledged.

For this reason, he stated that they are in contact with students and health institutions. If they see that there is a risk situation, they immediately contact the institution and remove them from the area where there is a problem, because their life is in danger or they may be violated.

The director told this newspaper that they monitor the integrity of the students and pointed out that in the face of violence, it has been difficult for students to fulfill this social service in marginalized communities where doctors are required.