Hospital O’Horán staff demand resignations over labor shortages

Healthcare workers at Hospital O’Horán in Yucatán are demanding the resignation or removal of the current administration following severe staffing shortages and labor concerns. Staff members have denounced the practice of expecting employees to “put on the shirt” (ponerse la camiseta) to compensate for systemic failures, arguing that such rhetoric masks labor exploitation.

Medical professionals reported critical conditions, including nurses managing 12 to 14 patients per shift and therapy services operating with only three or four workers. The workforce has reportedly been depleted by more than one hundred resignations. Dr. Antonio Arcovedo González, a former surgeon at the hospital, stated that while staff worked tirelessly through the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of supplies, personnel, and proper management eventually caused the “shirt to tear.”

The workers are calling for a formal investigation to determine how many authorized positions remain vacant, the causes behind recent resignations, and who was responsible for maintaining operations despite known staffing deficits. They emphasize that public health cannot be managed through mere willpower or moral obligation when essential personnel are missing.