AMLO announces extension of agreement with private hospitals to attend Covid patients

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced that it will increase the number of private hospitals that treat patients with COVID-19.

“We are going to expand the agreement we have to guarantee better care for those affected by COVID,” said the Chief Executive.

During his morning conference at the National Palace, López Obrador stressed that now public hospitals have more beds available, however, they prepare a agreement for what private hospitals not only provide free care to patients with other ailments, but also with COVID-19.

“What is being done is to leave hospitals where there are more specialized doctors, more equipment, where more lives can be saved and it has also been chosen so that in private hospitals also seriously ill patients with COVID are treated, this was not contemplated In the first stage of the agreement, patients with other ailments were cared for in private hospitals to free up beds in public ones and care for COVID patients, ”he explained.

#Last hour Until this Monday, in Mexico there are one million 9 thousand 396 accumulated cases of COVID-19 https://t.co/j6aFhDg57z pic.twitter.com/GW97ULfN8p

– Formula Group (@Radio_Formula) November 17, 2020

For his part, the head of the Ministry of Health, Jorge Alcocer recalled that on April 13 the Federal Government signed a agreement with the National Association of Private Hospitals and with the Mexican Hospital Consortium with the aim of guaranteeing service to beneficiaries of public institutions.

“Today we will have the extension of this agreement with private hospitals, they will make 50 COVID hospitals available to the population, selected with the best doctors and equipment, which gives us 150 added beds,” he explained.

Who will be treated in private hospitals?

President López Obrador explained that private hospitals will attend to beneficiaries of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), the Institute of Social Security and Services of State Workers (ISSSTE) as well as those patients who do not have social security.

“Not only will patients who have different ailments, not necessarily Covid patients, be cared for, they will continue to care for patients from Social Security, ISSSTE, those who do not have social security, all of them, with different ailments and now COVID patients will also be treated, 150 beds will be available in private hospitals to achieve the main purpose of saving lives, “he said.

He also noted that medical care will be free, “They are not going to pay anything, it is part of the public budget.”