Two health workers at a Cabo San Lucas hospital developed cancer after years of exposure to radiation without lead vests or other basic protective equipment, a union leader announced during a Labor Day protest on May 1.
Marlene Cota, state delegate for the Fuerza Independiente de Trabajadores de la Salud (Fintras), an independent health workers’ union, made the disclosure outside the Palacio de Gobierno in La Paz. She called the lack of protective gear a “grave omission” that endangered staff health.
“There are colleagues in Cabo San Lucas who ended up with cancer after being exposed for a long time without personal protective equipment,” Cota said during the protest. The union has demanded an immediate audit of safety and hygiene conditions at the Cabo San Lucas facility.
Critical Supply Shortages Across BCS Hospitals
The cancer cases were not the only problems Cota raised. Fintras also reported critical supply shortages across Baja California Sur’s public hospitals, including a lack of needles and sterile materials. An autoclave, the pressurized device used to sterilize surgical instruments, has been out of service at the Cabo San Lucas hospital since October 2025.
With the autoclave broken for roughly seven months, staff have been forced to borrow sterilization equipment from other facilities just to perform surgeries. The hospital in Cabo San Lucas is classified as a third-level facility, meaning it is supposed to handle complex medical cases and specialized care.
Union Demands Safety Audit
The union warned that the risk extends beyond the two confirmed cancer cases. Remaining staff and patients who visit the hospital for treatment also face potential harm from the ongoing equipment failures and supply gaps, Cota said.
Fintras has called on state health authorities to conduct a full review of working conditions at the Cabo San Lucas clinic and to replace missing protective equipment immediately. The union chose the Labor Day rally in La Paz to make the complaints public, joining other workers’ groups that marched to the state government building.
Cabo San Lucas and the broader Los Cabos area serve a large population of both Mexican residents and foreign nationals who rely on public health infrastructure. The hospital in question handles cases that smaller clinics in the region cannot treat.
This story was first reported by BCS Noticias.