Prohibition of E-cigarettes and vaporizers/Doctors’ deficit

Prohibition of electronic cigarettes and vaporizers. Health Deputy Minister Hugo López-Gatell said that electronic cigarettes and vaporizers have the same impact on health as tobacco cigarettes. In addition, he noted that the claim about these products being less harmful than traditional cigarettes is a big lie.

As a consequence, President López Obrador signed a decree which prohibits the circulation and sale of vaporizers and electronic cigarettes after receiving an award from the World Health Organization (WHO) for his preventive measures in favor of the health of the population.

Mexico has a deficit of doctors. Minister of Health Jorge Alcocer reported that despite increasing vacant specialist positions, it is not enough and that the estimated deficit of medical specialists is around 154,000.

Moreover, Zoe Robledo, Director of the Social Security Institute (IMSS) reported that from the 13,765 available employment posts, no interest has been shown in 9,725 positions. Robledo mentioned that until today 9,275 doctors are registered on their platform. He explained that each of the doctors has the option to choose three of the vacant positions, in total there are 19,964 applications. Nonetheless, the applications are concentrated for 4,040 vacant positions and no one has registered in the other 9,725

This month, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced the hiring of Cuban doctors to work in Mexico´s rural areas, saying the country has a shortage of general practitioners. Nevertheless, doctors and medical associations argue that there are plenty of doctors available, but many are competing for scarce jobs in the medical field. Consequently, the president announced that new vacancies would soon be opened and stressed that Cuban doctors will not be considered. The states where open vacancies are to be found are: Baja California Sur, Campeche, Mexico City, Colima, Durango, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tlaxcala, Veracruz and Zacatecas.

Mayan Train Section 5 Cancelled. Yesterday, a federal judge canceled for an indefinite period the construction of section 5 of the Mayan Train which travels from Playa del Carmen to Tulum resolving one of the 5 amparos filed against this section due to the lack of environmental authorizations and indications of irreparable damage to the areas affected by the site.

President López Obrador said his government will fight against the amparos blocking the construction of section 5 of the Mayan Train. Moreover, he informed that the government will appeal the amparo because it has no basis. He assured that economic interests are the reasons for stopping the construction and that there is no real damage to the environment.

The Mayan Train is set to be inaugurated in 2023 and is one of the flagship projects of the current administration. The train will connect the main regions of the Yucatan Peninsula and is conformed of 7 sections. It is supposed to start in Palenque, Chiapas, traveling to Bacalar, Quintana Roo. However, many experts have warned about the great environmental impact the project could have since many trees will have to be cut and many different ecosystems will be intervened.

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