People’s Mañanera August 18

ByPedro Gellert

Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries, translated by Mexico Solidarity’s Pedro Gellert. Previous press conference summaries are available here.

Public Health System Exceeds 100 Million Consultations
Through the IMSS, ISSSTE, and IMSS-Bienestar public healthcare systems, 101 million general consultations were registered. “Instead of going to the private sector, people are turning to the public healthcare system,” President Claudia Sheinbaum explained.

IMSS-Bienestar: Free Care Leads to More Treatment
In the 24 states that have joined the IMSS-Bienestar program, general consultations have increased by 50% since 2023, and specialty consultations by 90%. “These are very clear indicators that people’s access to healthcare is improving,” Sheinbaum noted.

Healthcare Closer to Families
Sheinbaum will present a progress report on the “House-to-House Healthcare” program and “Well-being Pharmacies”, which are projected to be established in 6,000 locations. In addition, nearly 3 million beneficiaries already have their health care ID cards, which can be used in any of the public health care systems and contain their medical histories.

Sovereignty and Validation Lie with the People
After it was revealed that PRI senator Alito paid US$120,000 to a U.S. consulting firm, the President challenged the right-wing, arguing that “sovereignty does not lie in the validation of a foreign government; it lies in the validation of the people.”

Fabricated Trends Do Not Represent the People
The President warned that bots, trolls, and paid social media networks amplify fake news and fabricate trends. In response, she noted that a door-to-door survey showed 80% support for policies to defend audience rights.