AMLO proposes job benefits for independent contractors in the health sector

When signing an agreement with eight state representatives from southeast Mexico to begin the federalization of the health sector, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador proposed to allow for the right of a dignified death and assisted death in said sector.

“ Why don’t we implement something to allow for a dignified death and provide assistance? All of this has not been included in healthcare programs, and yet these issues are very important and we need to discuss them,” he declared.

The agreement to begin unifying the health sector through the Federal Government , granting an additional investment of 25 billion pesos for all states , was signed by the governor of Guerrero, Héctor Astudillo; the governor of Oaxaca, Alejandro Murat; Veracruz, Cuitláhuac García; Tabasco, Arturo Núñes; Chiapas, Rutilio Escandón; Campeche, Alejandro Moreno; Yucatán, Mauricio Vila, and Quintana Roo, Carlos Joaquín González .

The Federal Healthcare Plan is meant to overthrow public insurance and put a stop to the centralization of the sector, which dates back to the 1980s . Furthermore, it eliminates the term of basic schedule of essential drugs.

“We propose to federalize the entire healthcare system so that there is only one government body in charge of providing medical attention, so that the healthcare system is not fractionated anymore, because right now we have the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), as well as the Institute for Security and Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE) ,” he indicated.

Furthermore, López Obrador made a commitment to gradually grant employee benefits to a workforce of around 80 thousand people working under temporary service contracts or independent contractor agreements.

“There are health workers that have been under temporary service contracts for 20 years. We need to do something about this irregularity. We are talking about 80 thousand people. Certainly, we cannot do this overnight, but in the definitive agreement, we need to establish a commitment so that we gradually give benefits to health workers and standardize their services,” he explained.

Every six months, 8 more states will be integrated to the health federalization agreement, so that López Obrador’s plan is put in place in two years time.

“We have been moving backwards in our health system. What we want is quality healthcare, we want to achieve a level of competence similar to the one they have in Denmark, Nordic countries, and Canada ,” he expressed.

Construction of Mayan Train to start on December 17

dm