Baja California Sur is providing free antiretroviral treatment to residents without social security health coverage who have been diagnosed with HIV. The state treated more than 930 uninsured patients in 2025, and the program continues at full capacity in 2026.
Treatment is delivered through the state’s CAPASITS clinics (Centros Ambulatorios para la Prevención y Atención en VIH e Infecciones de Transmisión Sexual) and hospitals operated by IMSS Bienestar, the federal health system serving people without employer-based insurance. The national HIV/AIDS prevention center and the federal government back the program, keeping medication supplies consistent across the state.
Services Go Beyond Medication
Patients enrolled in the program receive more than antiretroviral drugs. The CAPASITS clinics provide periodic lab work to monitor viral load, along with nursing care, psychological counseling, and social work support. These wraparound services are designed to help patients stay on treatment and manage their health long term.
The clinics also offer pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV prevention. Free screening is available for HIV, Hepatitis C, and syphilis at no cost to the patient.
Who Qualifies for Free Treatment
The program is open to anyone in Baja California Sur who has a confirmed HIV diagnosis and lacks derechohabiencia, the formal enrollment in a social security health plan such as IMSS or ISSSTE. In Mexico, workers in the formal economy and their dependents receive coverage through these institutions. Those outside the formal system, including self-employed workers, informal laborers, and some foreign residents, often lack this coverage.
For uninsured expats and retirees living in Baja California Sur, the CAPASITS clinics represent one of the few avenues for accessing free HIV testing, prevention medication, and treatment without private insurance. La Paz, the state capital, is home to the primary CAPASITS facility in the state.
The BCS state government announced the program’s continuation through its official website, confirming that federal support has kept antiretroviral drug supplies steady heading into 2026.
Originally reported by the Baja California Sur state government (bcs.gob.mx).