Hospital O’Horán healthcare staffing protests

Medical and nursing staff at the new Hospital O’Horán in Yucatán have launched protests to denounce severe labor shortages and excessive workloads. Workers reported that nurses were responsible for up to 12 patients, far exceeding recommended ratios. In response, Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena attributed the shortages to scheduled vacations and urged workers to show more institutional commitment, telling them to “ponerse la camiseta” (wear the institution's shirt).

As the situation escalated, healthcare workers began demanding the resignation or removal of the hospital administration. Staff denounced the governor’s rhetoric, arguing that the expectation to “put on the shirt” masks systemic labor exploitation. Reports indicated that the workforce had been depleted by more than one hundred resignations, with therapy services operating with only three or four workers.

Former surgeon Dr. Antonio Arcovedo González noted that while staff worked through the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of supplies and personnel eventually caused the “shirt to tear.” Protesters are now calling for a formal investigation into vacant authorized positions and the management responsible for maintaining operations despite known staffing deficits.