Sheinbaum Inaugurates First Phase of IMSS Hospital in Ensenada

President Claudia Sheinbaum inaugurated the first phase of the Regional General Hospital No. 23 of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in Ensenada, Baja California. This marks a step forward in the federal government's efforts to expand access to public healthcare services across the country.

“We are going to keep moving forward because there is a deep conviction from those who are part of our public health institutions,” states Sheinbaum. “Our conviction is that health is a right of the Mexican people, not a privilege.”

The new facility is expected to benefit over 318,000 IMSS beneficiaries in the region. The hospital's second construction phase is scheduled for completion within the next 18 months. 

The newly opened phase includes 31 inpatient beds, 32 medical specialties, 40 outpatient consultation rooms, two outpatient surgery operating rooms, 30 hemodialysis machines, 20 chemotherapy chairs, 12 stations for ambulatory dialysis, and four endoscopy rooms.

Zoé Robledo, Director, IMSS, confirms that the hospital is operational with 162 specialists already recruited. The second phase of construction is underway and is being carried out by the Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA).

“This hospital will benefit over 300,000 beneficiaries. And today we can tell the people of Baja California: Mission accomplished, and now on to the second phase!” writes Robledo on X.

Additionally, the federal government approved a budget of MX$430 million (US$21.5 million) to strengthen the IMSS Bienestar program in the state. This investment will support the full operation of hospitals, health centers, and surgical theaters, including necessary equipment and staffing.

Alejandro Svarch, General Director, IMSS Bienestar, says that the funds will be used for key infrastructure upgrades including the activation of all 39 operating rooms across the state, construction of a hemodynamics room at Tijuana General Hospital, upgrades to the intensive care unit at the Mexicali Maternal and Child Hospital, and the addition of a linear accelerator for the oncology unit in Mexicali.

During the inauguration, Marina del Pilar Ávila, Governor of Baja California, said that the new facility signals a renewed federal commitment to healthcare. “This hospital is the result of efforts to guarantee the right to health with dignified facilities after decades,” writes Ávila on X.

Meanwhile, in Baja California Sur, Sheinbaum led the inauguration of a new hemodynamics room at the IMSS Bienestar Specialty Hospital “Juan María de Salvatierra” and announced an additional investment of MX$300 million to strengthen the institution in the state.