Puerto Vallarta (AP) — Health authorities in Mexico said Tuesday they will use more traditional medicine and more Cuban doctors in the country’s woefully under-equipped public hospital system.
Zoe Robledo, the head of Mexico’s largest public hospital network, said at a news conference that the system will hire 753 practitioners of traditional massage and herbal treatments.
The Social Security Institute will also employ “curanderos,” who are non-licensed healers who use bundles of herbs, smoke, alcohol, and eggs to “draw” sickness out of the bodies of their patients.
“Thanks to traditional medicine, humans have managed to overcome threats to their physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing,” Health Secretary Jorge Alcocer said at the news conference.
The hospitals and clinics will also employ midwives and people who practice a traditional form of chiropractic medicine.
Apparently, they won’t necessarily be licensed professionals. Instead, they will “base their treatment on ancestral knowledge,” according to a statement by the office of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The system also will seek to double the approximately 600 Cuban doctors who have been offered jobs in Mexico.
While many Mexican hospitals lack specialized doctors — especially in rural or violence-plagued areas — the country’s healthcare system has even starker deficits in medicines, hospitals, and equipment.
Patients’ relatives often have to go and search for medications, surgical supplies, and donated blood in order to get the care their loved ones need.
That is largely the result of decades of under-investment in the health care system.
Subscribe here for as low as .08 cents per day to access exclusive content and join the PVDN Newsletter, and browse this site with fewer ads. (Why subscribe?)
Trending news on PVDN
- What is considered lower, middle, and upper class in Mexico? Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – The issue of what social class one belongs to in Mexico is often a matter of debate among those who discuss it, since there are no established parameters that define the social class in Mexico. Although the National Institute of Statistics and Geography ( INEGI) identified some socioeconomic characteristics of each…
- Condominium development in Puerto Vallarta is destabilizing the hydrological cycle Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – At a recent conference on “Risks in Water Management and its Influence on the Real Estate sector of the Interstate Metropolitan Area of Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas,” Dr. Bartolo Cruz Romero, a research professor at the Centro Universitario de la Costa of the University of Guadalajara, emphasized the importance…
- Gentrification of Puerto Vallarta: Causes, Consequences, and Advantages Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – Puerto Vallarta has been experiencing an increase in prices for rents, food, and other necessities, which could be a symptom of gentrification. For many foreigners and expats in Puerto Vallarta, these increases may seem small and still much cheaper than their home country, but it may be resulting in Mexican locals…
- Majahuitas cove in Puerto Vallarta, one of the most peaceful places in Mexico Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – Majahuitas is a small, secluded cove located on the southern coast of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It is surrounded by lush jungle and pristine beaches that make it a paradise for those seeking an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. In this essay, we will explore the history, culture,…
- Playa Careyes, a foreigner’s paradise for luxurious relaxation south of Puerto Vallarta (VIDEO) Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – Playa Careyes is a hidden gem on the Pacific coast of Mexico, located in the heart of the Costa Alegre region and 3.5 hours south of Puerto Vallarta. This secluded beach is a favorite among travelers who are looking for a peaceful and relaxing vacation away from the crowds. With its…
