Baja California Sur Governor Víctor Castro Cosío secured a commitment from IMSS-Bienestar (the federal health program for uninsured residents) to authorize local medication purchases and hire 129 new health professionals for the state. The agreement came after a meeting with IMSS-Bienestar Director General Alejandro Svarch Pérez to address persistent drug shortages and specialist gaps across the peninsula.
The most immediate change: IMSS-Bienestar clinics in BCS can now buy medicines from local suppliers rather than waiting for shipments from the mainland. Deliveries from central Mexico currently take up to a week to reach the peninsula, a logistical bottleneck that has left clinic pharmacies chronically understocked. The local procurement authorization is designed to close that gap.
129 Specialists and Nurses Headed to Five BCS Hospitals
Under the national strategy called “Más Especialistas, Más Enfermeras, Más Bienestar” (More Specialists, More Nurses, More Welfare), IMSS-Bienestar will send 129 health professionals to BCS. The new hires include 104 specialist nurses and additional medical specialists. They will be assigned to hospitals in La Paz, Cabo San Lucas, Loreto, Santa Rosalía, and Ciudad Constitución.
Svarch Pérez called the hiring “a concrete step to reverse decades of neglect and build a health system where vocation, justice, and welfare are at the center.” The initiative was ordered by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo to strengthen medical staffing in historically underserved regions.
What This Means for Patients in BCS
IMSS-Bienestar serves roughly 250,000 people in Baja California Sur who lack other social security coverage. The program provides free consultations, hospitalizations, surgeries, and medications from the national formulary. BCS is one of 23 states that signed onto the federal program.
Castro Cosío had publicly acknowledged the medication shortages just days before the meeting. No specific budget figures or delivery timelines were disclosed for the local procurement plan. Patients should continue to check medication availability directly with their clinic, as the rollout of local purchasing could take time to reach all facilities.
The governor stated that Baja California Sur “deserves urgency in attention” given the persistent supply problems at public health institutions. The announcement was first reported by BCS Noticias.