In addition to the decrease in resources, each year hospitals face administrative problems with the Ministry of Finance or budget adjustments during the course of the year.
Due to these modifications, in November 2024, the National Institute of Nutrition issued a warning to its staff. Through a letter, they asked doctors not to prescribe drugs for more than two months in order to avoid a more serious problem of shortages.
“As a consequence of the budgetary adjustments that the health system is going through, it is expected that the outpatient pharmacy will have a shortage of some medications for the next three months,” the institute reported then.
About 50 surgeons at the “Federico Gómez” Children’s Hospital of Mexico warn about a serious crisis: suspension of surgeries, shortage of anesthesia and closure of services. pic.twitter.com/vfrfPbCbPP
— With🎗Causa (@ConCausaMX) October 29, 2025
The 2026 budget project will amend the lack of resources with increases to hospitals. But, while this new investment arrives, the shortcomings are still present and impact the most vulnerable and poor population, because these hospitals serve people without social security.
The surgeons told Sheinbaum in the letter. Many of his patients come from low-income households who cannot afford treatments or surgeries in the private sector. Some travel from remote areas or belong to indigenous communities.
“And behind them there is a mother, a father and a family that trusts us.”
Patricia, the 32-year-old mother, agrees with them. You will have to wait for your son’s surgery to be rescheduled because you cannot pay for it outside. The child suffers from epilepsy and other health problems.
For specialists, the most painful thing is that the lack of timely care is not due to a lack of commitment or medical expertise.
“We have the skills to operate and cure patients, but we cannot do it because we do not have what is necessary,” they added in the letter.
Presidency Response
Until after the letter was disseminated, it was reported that the surgeons had already received a response from the Presidency’s Citizen Assistance area, where it was stated that Sheinbaum instructed them to resolve the request.
This Wednesday, legislator Éctor Jaime Ramírez Barba read the letter in the Chamber of Deputies and urged the government to resolve the resource jam.
“Almost two weeks have passed and there is no real answer. Meanwhile, doctors continue to work with the minimum and patients continue waiting for a chance to live,” he said on social networks.
