IMSS ISSTE INSABI - A Visit To The Doctor Today

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

Apart from being sick, the above title is all the rage with ex-pats as our illustrious president decided to cancel the program Seguro Popular which was designated for the poor but many ex-pats found a way to get into the system.  How did they do that?  It is open to the public but was intended for the poor and those who were not formally employed and registered with the government to pay their fair share of taxes.  Many ex-pats got in on the cheap by using facilitators or as we call them in Mexico, coyotes.  Facilitators have contacts in government offices and use those contacts to get things done.  Many ex-pats shy away from doing it themselves for lack of the language and knowing how the system works.  That said, all of those services are free from the government and no one has to pay to do the paperwork.  

IMSS is the national healthcare system that is available for those who are registered workers be it in a company or independent but they pay taxes.  It's a huge system that cracks under the weight of millions of "derechohabientes" and their families.  In the case of a worker, be it a professional or blue-collar worker, they receive healthcare benefits via their employer which is required by law.  Along with the registered worker are their spouse, children, parents living in the same domicile and sometimes, disabled family members. Because I am an independent worker, I pay 10,000 pesos or $500 U.S. per year.  

Most but not all of the hospitals and facilities are in disrepair thanks to the IMSS workers union which makes it impossible to fire a person who reports to work but does nothing.   As of this year, there are no medications or very little, no supplies, as for chemo treatments forget it.  The president disqualified the providers because he said it was a monopoly(there were three major suppliers who submitted legitimate bids each year) doing this before finding replacements.  He went as far as to send a delegation to France to find cancer medications for children only to save 17,000 pesos, or roughly $1700 U.S.  Some children didn't make it while waiting for the medications.  

OTOH, there are good facilities and one of them is in Ajijic.  Also, specialty hospitals for cancer treatment, preemies, transplants (Mexico last year alone did 1600 kidney, 1300 cornea, 40 liver, and 23 heart transplants), dialysis, and bypass are top drawer facilities.  One of the issues is that the facilities are overrun with family members.  They are jammed packed with people waiting to visit relatives and they bring the whole family.  It's overwhelming in addition to unions and corruption.

Now to my visit this morning.  I have suffered from a severe head cold for six days going on seven.  I try to handle these events on my own but I guess old age is kicking in.  Funny, last six years I worked with 160 children ages 2 to 6 without any issues.  I decided it was time to get this fixed and go on.  I was missing the gym and when I went I was very limited.  

This morning was the day and off  I went.  The office is five blocks from the house and I arrived just after nine a.m.  Concerned that I was from Monterrey and not a local, they took me right in.  I have my carnet (an official booklet that records my visits) and I handed it to the nurse.  She asked me to take a seat and she would call me.  There were seven other people waiting and it was pretty quiet.  It is a nice facility, it could use some TLC but when you ask a union IMSS worker to paint they just slop it all over and it looks like shit.  Sheetrock ceilings need replacing in some areas but overall it was in good shape.  

The doctor called me and in five minutes he examined me and said my throat was very swollen, no congestion, but lots of guck.  He ordered a shot to reduce the inflammation, gave me antibiotics, pain medication, and two liquids to take for the next two days.  One is an expectorant and the other is cough syrup.  The total cost of treatment and medications that are good for two more years, ZERO.  I was in and out in 45 minutes.  

As for the new program INSABI, people are already reporting that they are being charged thousands of pesos for treatment and there are still no medications or supplies.  Typical of this president.  Instead of improving an already existing system, out of vengeance for his opposition, he has to relabel, recreate and remake it all with his mark on it.  Well here we are, now there is no reliable healthcare for the poor and indigenous.  Bless you, AMLO.