Mexico to expand Farmacias del Bienestar to 6,000 locations

The Mexican federal government plans to expand the ‘Farmacias del Bienestar’ program to 6,000 locations nationwide. This initiative is primarily linked to the ‘Salud Casa por Casa’ program, which provides medical visits to elderly individuals and people with disabilities.

President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that further details regarding the locations, operation, and progress of these pharmacies, as well as results from home medical visits, will be released on Tuesday, August 25. The program aims to strengthen primary healthcare through IMSS-Bienestar.

The distribution model has evolved from its initial phase, which utilized small metal modules in health units and ‘Tiendas del Bienestar’ to provide 22 essential medications for conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Following questions regarding the storage capacity of these modules, the government has modified the approach to include automated dispensers in urban areas and is considering a network of private pharmacies to ensure medication availability when public points are out of stock.