In brief
In Monterrey and other cities, Mexican health workers staged blockades and rallies, demanding higher wages, more staff and an end to chronic shortages of medicines and supplies. Despite a government emergency plan that includes an 8% wage increase, the workers’ demands remain unmet, and the protest continues.
Dozens of doctors, nurses and other medical staff marched into the streets of Monterrey, Mexico, on October 21, blocking a major avenue for more than an hour as they demanded higher wages, more personnel and an end to chronic shortages of medicine and supplies in the country’s largest public health system.
The blockades, organized by the National Association of Mexican Health Professionals, gathered doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians and administrative staff who held handmade placards and shouted slogans such as The COVID heroes have come out again as they choked traffic at the intersection of Calle Luis de la Rosa and Avenida San Carlos. Citizens watched as the protest stretched for over an hour, while ambulances struggled to pass.
Protests across the country
A union representative said the workers are frustrated that their union has failed to protect their interests.
We have reached a breaking point, said Jose Rosales, a specialist in pathology and molecular biochemistry who joined the Monterrey protest.
The sentiment was echoed by a son of a hospitalized woman who, when asked why her mother only received paracetamol, replied that families are forced to buy drugs themselves because supplies are delayed.
The health workers’ demands are clear: higher wages, more staff and an end to the persistent shortages of medicines and medical supplies that have left public hospitals unable to provide basic care.
Government plan and reaction
IMSS Director Zoe Robledo announced a 12‑point emergency plan running through February 2027 that includes an 8% wage increase, equipment upgrades, facility maintenance and measures to ensure medication supplies. In spite of the plan, many workers say the promises fall short and the shortcomings continue.
Despite the government’s emergency plan, the protesters vow to stay on the streets until their demands are met, with smaller rallies already held in Mexico City last week and scheduled for future dates in Monterrey.
The protests are part of a broader movement calling for reforms in the Mexican Social Security Institute’s staffing and supply chains, and the government has yet to provide a concrete timetable for a comprehensive solution.
