Authorities, Parents Address Pediatric Cancer Challenges

Federal health authorities and the collective of mothers and fathers of children with cancer are fostering ongoing communication to enhance medical services in specialized hospitals. This is relevant because pediatric cancer care has been deficient under the present presidential administration, driving parental dissatisfaction.

In Mexico childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among those aged 5 to 14, claiming over 2,000 lives annually. For every child that does not survive cancer, the estimated loss in productive life averages 70 years. In addition  to its profound impact on emotional health and family dynamics, childhood cancer imposes considerable social and economic burdens, as reported by SSa. 

During this administration, parents with children suffering from cancer have faced shortages of cancer treatment medications in public health institutions in Mexico. This scarcity has compelled parents to pay for expensive medications privately because they are not available in public institutions due to a lack of resources, as reported by MBN. In response to ongoing shortages of these crucial medications, last year, President López Obrador proposed the creation of a national depot of pharmaceuticals. 

The proposed warehouse in Mexico City would house essential medicines in reasonable quantities to bolster healthcare preparedness and ensure the availability of critical drugs when needed. However, industry experts claimed that the problem of these scarcities are rather a combination of distribution challenges, corruption, and inadequate funding, according to MBN

However, one week after its inauguration on Dec. 29, 2023, the "Grand Pharmacy for Well-Being" encountered logistical problems that made it difficult to deliver medicines. President López Obrador was forced to acknowledge that there were in fact supply problems, but stressed that the service would improve over time, as reported by MBN.

In light of these failures, the collective of mothers and fathers of children with cancer called on federal health authorities to hold meetings where they could outline immediate needs and requests. During the last session, they urged the extension of ultrasound service hours at the Pediatric Tower of the High Specialty Hospital of Veracruz (HAEV) to alleviate existing strain. Furthermore, they requested an increase in the number of consultations at the La Antorcha community medical unit in Medellín, Veracruz, especially during the winter season when the demand for medical attention rises due to seasonal respiratory ailments.

In response, María Cristina Ceballos Vela, the HAEV's medical subdirector, assured security personnel would be arranged to facilitate patient and family access, as reported by Mexico’s Ministry of Health (SSA).