Austerity at the IMSS sparks crisis

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The Mexican Social Security Institute ( IMSS ) is years behind. The medicine shortage , the long wait to get surgery , or the scenes showing patients laying on the floor because there aren't enough hospital beds are nothing new.

Yesterday , Germán Martínez Cázares submitted his resignation as the IMSS director and, in an unusual move in Mexican politics , the former official issued a public letter where he explained the reasons behind his resignation in detail.

Among the reasons, he mentioned the “ interference ” of the Finance Ministry , which ordered “ savings and more savings, staff cuts , and more staff cuts.”

One of the main policies implemented by the federal government is the so-called Republican austerity . In late April, the lower chamber approved a Federal Austerity Law that eliminates s pecial bonuses, medical insurance or special retirement schemes for public servants . No one can disagree with these measures to eliminate the privileges and squandering that characterized high-ranking officials from previous governments but it is worrying when the current administration tries to generate savings in affected departments such as health services . Public clinics and hospitals have been affected by shortages , therefore, how can they demand more savings in these institutions? At the expense of deficient services ? The services are unsatisfactory already, and if the resources are cut, what more can patients expect from the IMSS ?

Germán Martínez Cázares

details the decay of the Social Security Institute , a situation that should be explained, either to detail specific situations or acknowledge them. In the last weeks, IMSS beneficiaries have made complaints , related to what Germán Martínez wrote in his letter, such as the lack of medicines for HIV patients . For example, two weeks ago EL UNIVERSAL documented the lack of basic materials used by nurses and doctors in Oaxaca .

Millions of IMSS users, their health and lives, could be at risk with the possible cuts implemented to the IMSS , or the lack of budget increases . Austerity can't be implemented in institutions that provide services to those who need it the most. It would be wise to allocate resources to these institutions, not implement budget cuts .