Ministry of Health Relocates / Candidates for the 2024 Elections
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Ministry of Health Relocates / Candidates for the 2024 Elections

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Paloma Duran By Paloma Duran | Journalist and Industry Analyst - Tue, 10/12/2021 - 11:00

Mexico acquires more medicines. Minister of Health Jorge Alcocer announced that the government has purchased 150.5 million medications to face the shortage of medical supplies in the country. “According to the demand from the health sector, as of (Monday) the equivalent of 29 percent of the medicines we have purchased has been received. In the last few weeks, we have worked hard and added 14 million units. All these efforts are made to ensure that all Mexicans have access to medicines.”

The Health Institute for Well-Being, UNOPS, and the pharmaceutical industry are working together to address Mexico's drug shortage, which was exacerbated in 2019 by budget cuts and the change in the way the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador buys medicines. According to a report prepared by the Zero Scarcity Collective, 4Q21 saw the highest number of complaints reported due to a lack of medicines, totaling 1,823 complaints. The collective said the situation has not improved for most people, despite the authorities' efforts, as access remains a major problem.

Ministry of Health begins transfer to Acapulco. Alcocer announced that last week, the Ministry of Health began transferring its operations to Acapulco, Guerrero. The initiative is part of López Obrador's plan to decentralize federal agencies. In addition, Alcocer said that by 2H22, more than 1,200 workers are expected to relocate. Alcocer explained that the relocation is voluntary and that so far only 20 percent of the ministry’s employees have been willing to move to Acapulco. “In this initial phase, a total of 100 employees were transferred to the new location, including general managers, area managers and the people who requested (a transfer). In the second stage, which will be in January, another 200 people from the Ministry of Health and COFEPRIS will join, in addition to 120 from INSABI."

On Dec. 1, 2018, the day López Obrador took office, he made 100 commitments. No. 54 was that the federal government would be decentralized and the ministries would be located in different states of the republic to start benefiting people who are not in the capital. López Obrador explained that this process was voluntary and would not affect workers; on the contrary, they would have more opportunities, he said.

More than 16 million students have returned to school. Minister of Public Education Delfina Gómez announced that 155,042 schools have been reopened and 16,414 million students have returned to face-to-face classes. However, Gómez said that there are still a large number of students who have not returned to classes due to concerns over COVID-19. She called on the remaining institutions and students to join the new school normality. “We have worked hard to ensure a safe environment for students and teachers. For this reason, we invite everyone to return because it is necessary and safe.”

 

Mexican authorities have repeatedly asked students and teachers to return to classrooms, as the level of education across the country has dropped and more than 5.2 million students at all levels have stopped studying. However, there has been some resistance from some schools and students due to fears of an infection outbreak, especially as the country is in a third wave of the pandemic.

MORENA candidates for the 2024 presidential elections. López Obrador assured that he does not have a favorite MORENA candidate for the 2024 presidential elections and stressed that the decision of who will compete and who will be the next president is in the hands of Mexicans. "I do not have any favorites. Who is going to decide at that time? The citizens. Let's do a survey to see who each candidate is and then we will know who is the favorite of the people.”

The members of the MORENA party who have shown interest in running in the 2024 elections are Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard, Head of Government of CDMX Claudia Sheinbaum, Coordinator of MORENA in the Senate Ricardo Monreal Ávila, Minister of Energy Rocío Nahle and Minister of Economy Tatiana Clouthier.

Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish

 

Photo by:   Gobierno de México

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