ISSSTE to Expand Cancun Clinic Hospital Into General Hospital

Mexico’s Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE) announced plans to expand and transform its Clínica Hospital in Cancun into a General Hospital, a project aimed at increasing inpatient capacity and strengthening health services in northern Quintana Roo.

Martí Batres, Director General, ISSSTE, presented the project alongside Mara Lezama, Governor of Quintana Roo, outlining an initial investment of MX$400 million (US$20 million). The expansion is expected to benefit about 90,000 beneficiaries living in Cancun, Lazaro Cardenas, Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel.

“The ISSSTE health infrastructure continues to expand across the country and in this state as well,” says Batres. 

According to Batres, the project will involve 5,000m² of construction and will extend beyond hospital wards. Planned areas include outpatient consultation, diagnostic and treatment support services, administrative and teaching spaces, supply and maintenance services, transportation areas, lobbies, and exterior works. Hospitalization will be a central component of the expansion.

The increase in bed capacity will be carried out in two stages. The first will add 30 inpatient beds, followed by an additional 30 beds in a second stage. Once completed, the facility will operate as a General Hospital, expanding the scope of care available in the region.

Batres says the conversion responds to demographic and service needs in Quintana Roo, noting that Cancun is the state’s most populated city and a key economic center. He adds that the project forms part of a broader effort to strengthen public health infrastructure.

During the announcement, Batres framed the initiative as part of a wider reconstruction of ISSSTE, emphasizing renewed investment in public health services. Lezama highlights the importance of federal and state coordination to address gaps in health infrastructure and expand access to care across Quintana Roo.

The expansion is one of several health projects underway in the state. ISSSTE is also working to convert its Clínica Hospital in Chetumal into a General Hospital. The project is expected to benefit nearly 101,000 beneficiaries in Chetumal as well as the municipalities of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Bacalar, and Jose Maria Morelos. The project will involve an investment of over MX$700 million (US$35 million) and aims to significantly expand healthcare capacity in the southern part of the state.

Under the plan, the facility will increase its inpatient capacity from 30 to 90 beds and expand its clinical services. The new General Hospital will grow from two to five operating rooms and add services such as chemotherapy, inhalation therapy, dialysis, and hemodialysis, as well as X-ray and mammography. The expansion, which is already in the foundation phase, will also include a clinical laboratory, pain management clinic, blood bank, and an expanded emergency department.

Meanwhile, in Playa del Carmen, Batres inaugurated the Playa del Carmen Family Medicine Unit (UMF), a facility built with an investment of MX$14.026 million (US$701,300). The unit is located on a 10,462m² site and replaces a former Family Care Clinic, expanding the scope and capacity of primary care services in the area.

Batres says the new unit includes two family medicine consultation rooms, a dental care room, a treatment room, a clinical records archive, storage areas, waiting rooms, restrooms, a machine room and an on-site pharmacy stocked with 188 medication codes. He adds that the facility is fully operational and ready to provide immediate care to beneficiaries.

In addition, Batres recently led the delivery of 300 housing loan clearance certificates from the Housing Fund for State Workers (FOVISSSTE) in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, as part of the Social Justice Program promoted by President Claudia Sheinbaum.