IMSS-Bienestar medical negligence allegations

The IMSS-Bienestar healthcare institution has faced multiple allegations of medical negligence and scrutiny from human rights organizations.

In mid-August 2026, the agency addressed claims of neglect following the death of a 51-year-old patient at the O’Horán Hospital in Mérida. While the family alleged the patient died after waiting days for specialized care for a strangulated hernia, the institution stated the death resulted from a cardiorespiratory arrest caused by complications from advanced renal disease.

By late August, the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) issued a recommendation regarding alleged obstetric violence at the Hospital de la Mujer y Neonatología in Tehuacán, Puebla. The CNDH reported that medical negligence and inadequate supervision led to the death of a Nahuatl indigenous woman and severe asphyxia in her newborn. The commission has demanded compensation, psychological support, and improved administrative controls to prevent future occurrences.

In early September 2026, criticism intensified as citizens in San Luis Potosí increasingly utilized legal injunctions, or amparos, to demand essential services such as consultations, medications, and surgeries. Frinné Azuara Yarzábal, president of the State Congress Health Commission, described the service delays as cruel and unjust, stating that “funerals are arriving before medicine.”

Newer reports indicate a rise in legal actions in San Luis Potosí, with 139 cases documented regarding omissions in diagnoses, medications, and surgeries. Additionally, in Monclova, patients filed a formal complaint with the CNDH following a mass cataract surgery event. One patient, Domitilo Bernal Escobedo, reported losing approximately 80 percent of his vision in one eye and claimed he has yet to receive corrective surgery or a medical solution despite being referred between various departments.