New Cancer Hospital opens; federal government medicines are lacking

More than four months after its inauguration, the new Cancer Hospital in the Miramar neighborhood of Zapopan is now operational. It has more treatment areas, but needs more support from the federal government in the delivery of cancer medications, acknowledged Jalisco's Secretary of Health, Héctor Raúl Pérez Gómez.

"We've been asking for access to medications for treating children and adults with cancer since the beginning of the year, because last year and this year we had to make an extraordinary purchase of 170 million pesos. We couldn't wait any longer."

According to the Federal Ministry of Health, around 195,000 cases of this disease are diagnosed in Mexico each year, and 46% of patients die. INEGI figures confirm this: malignant tumors were the third leading cause of death in the country last year, behind heart disease and diabetes.

In Jalisco , 2,600 cases are detected each year, but what worries authorities is the increase in children and adolescents. According to Pérez Gómez, this disease has exploded in at least 10 percent of the state.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which affects the blood and bone marrow, is the most common type of cancer in the state: eight out of 10 children suffer from it. In addition to genetics, environmental pollution plays a role in this increase in cases.

“Between 400 and 500 cases are detected annually in Jalisco. Currently, nearly 3,000 children are being monitored. Children should remain under observation for at least five years.”

On February 28, the Jalisco government delivered oncology medications to cancer patients at the Guadalajara Civil Hospital, the Jalisco Cancer Institute, and the Zapopan General Hospital (or Zoquipan) to address the nationwide shortage.

With an investment of 248 million pesos, divided between the purchase of medicines and support for civil organizations, Governor Pablo Lemus maintained that they could not wait for the Federal tenders , which would be ready by the end of March.

Last week, the Mexican government delivered a portion of the agreed-upon medications to Jalisco. "We haven't received the entire supply yet, but seeing that we've already started receiving them gives us a better outlook," Pérez Gómez said.

Despite this, the Cancer Hospital in Miramar doubled the number of patients treated compared to its previous location in the El Retiro neighborhood of Guadalajara. Furthermore, the number of beds increased from 43 to 100. The number of operating rooms increased from three to six.

The budget for cancer care is declining.

According to projections from the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer cases are estimated to increase over the next 20 years in Latin America and the Caribbean, rising from 1 million 55 thousand patients in 2022 to 2 million 62 thousand in 2045. Despite this outlook, in Mexico the budget for treating this disease has been declining since at least 2023, the last year for which records are kept.

According to figures from the Center for Economic and Budgetary Research (CIEP), the Mexican Social Security Institute's (IMSS) budget increased from 8.452 billion pesos in 2022 to 5.990 billion pesos in 2023, earmarked for treatment of the country's main cancers.

In the case of breast cancer, the reduction was 33%; in cervical cancer , it fell 62.5%; and in prostate cancer, it fell 35.2%.

The reduction in the budget for cancer care has been felt in Jalisco, especially in the delivery of oncology medications for children and adults with the disease, said State Health Secretary Héctor Raúl Pérez Gómez. Because the medications have not been delivered on time since last year, the state government has purchased its own medications, spending approximately 170 million pesos.

Furthermore, given the rise in childhood cancer cases in Jalisco, the secretary called for all institutions to work together to provide medical care to all patients in the state .

“Childhood cancer has seen an increase in cases. When detected early, the chances of cure are very high. For example, in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the chance of cure can reach up to 85% if detected early and treated promptly,” he added.

Budget allocated to the care of cancer patients

Breast cancer

• 2022 - 4 billion 596 million pesos.
• 2023 - 3.121 billion pesos.

Cervical cancer

• 2022 - 1.466 billion pesos.
• 2023 - 948 million pesos.

Prostate cancer

• 2022 - 2.396 billion pesos.
• 2023 - 1.921 billion pesos.

CT