A growing crisis at IMSS Clinic 42 in Puerto Vallarta is drawing public outrage after patients were once again left without essential cancer medication. The Women’s Network of District 05 in Jalisco sounded the alarm on Wednesday, denouncing the ongoing shortage that is affecting hundreds of women undergoing oncology treatment.
“Another week of having to buy cancer medication,” the group posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), tagging officials including President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, Jalisco Deputy Karla López, IMSS Jalisco, and Governor Pablo Lemus in a public appeal for immediate intervention.
This is not the first time cancer patients have been forced to cover the high cost of their own treatment due to supply failures by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS).
“Will they reimburse users for the cost of the medication and the mixture?” the post asked.
Although the duration of the shortage hasn’t been confirmed, patients have reportedly been without proper access to medication for several weeks.
“The human right to health is being violated. This is an indirect form of violence. Not all women can afford these treatments,” the group added.
Depending on the dosage and brand, cancer medications can cost anywhere from 400 to 5,000 pesos per dose—and many treatments require multiple doses, compounding the financial burden on families.
This situation in Puerto Vallarta is part of a wider national issue. Medication shortages have affected multiple regions in Mexico. On Wednesday, during her “people’s morning press conference,” President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged the crisis and said her administration has initiated talks with Indian pharmaceutical suppliers to secure additional medicine through emergency purchases.