Mexico’s health report reveals uneven progress

On September 1, the Mexican government released two reports on its health policies. One was a public address highlighting successes, while a 1,342-page document delivered to Congress provided a more detailed assessment, including unfavorable indicators.

The government’s strategy against dengue fever reduced cases by 78.3 percent. Yucatán became the 24th state to join the IMSS-Bienestar program, and 32 new hospitals opened with nearly 48 billion pesos in funding.

The government also published the Universal Health Service, aiming to fix fragmentation in the healthcare system that has existed since the 1940s. However, the comprehensive report revealed shortcomings not mentioned in the public address. The percentage of people without social security leaving with all their prescribed medication decreased from 61.55 percent in 2024 to 53.55 percent in 2025.

While insured patients had a 79 percent medication fulfillment rate, the report found that 89 to 93 percent of medication shortages were due to unavailability, not prescription. Government reports claimed high medication fulfillment rates at the IMSS and ISSSTE, but the National Quality Survey showed a significant gap between those figures and patient experience.

The report also showed that 31 percent of patients who do not receive their full prescriptions turn to private pharmacies, and 23 percent of the poorest households experienced a 23 percent increase in out-of-pocket healthcare spending. Despite the government claiming 650 operating rooms were enabled, the survey reported that 16 percent of second-level and 14.2 percent of third-level surgeries were rescheduled due to a lack of available rooms.

Additionally, only 29.4 percent of first-level healthcare units had doctors available seven days a week, and childhood mortality rates from diarrheal and respiratory diseases increased between 2024 and 2026.