Mexico's public health system reports 30% surge in surgeries, highlights improved hospital capacity

Mexico's public health system has significantly boosted its surgical capacity, performing 30% more procedures in the first seven months of 2026 compared to the same period in 2022. Eduardo Clark García Dobarganes, Undersecretary of Sector Integration and Development at the Ministry of Health, reported that surgeries increased from 1.45 million to 1.88 million.

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In 2022, if we sum the three institutions, 1.45 million surgeries were performed. By 2026, it was 1.887 million, 30% more.

This substantial growth, detailed during a morning press conference, reflects a broader trend across major public health institutions including IMSS, ISSSTE, and IMSS-Bienestar. Clark highlighted that the increase is particularly pronounced in the last year, with over 200,000 additional surgeries performed between January and July 2026 compared to 2025.

The undersecretary attributed this expansion to increased investment in healthcare infrastructure over the past eight years. This includes the development of more hospitals, an increase in hospital beds, the addition of operating rooms, and the recruitment of more specialized medical professionals. "This also reflects the great investment that has occurred in the last eight years to generate more hospitals, more hospitalization beds, more operating rooms, and more specialist doctors to serve Mexican patients," Clark stated.

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We have grown by a little more than 200,000 surgeries in just one year of difference.

Beyond surgeries, specialty consultations have also surged by 60% since 2022. From January to July 2022, these consultations numbered 19.7 million across IMSS, ISSSTE, and state health services integrated with IMSS-Bienestar. By the same period in 2026, this figure climbed to 31.7 million, representing an increase of nearly 12 million consultations. The growth in the last year alone accounted for approximately 4.5 million additional consultations.

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This also reflects the great investment that has occurred in the last eight years to generate more hospitals, more hospitalization beds, more operating rooms, and more specialist doctors to serve Mexican patients.