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Women and pregnant people who underwent surgery for breast cancer have access to free reconstruction surgery at the Dr. Rubén Leñero General Hospital, in the Miguel Hidalgo mayor’s office.
The Mexico City Ministry of Health offers this benefit to up to 110 people a year, and although the service stopped in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, since October 2022 surgical interventions for patients have returned.
This program, according to Lya Vázquez, head of the hospital’s plastic and reconstructive surgery service, offers breast reconstruction to patients who have finished their cancer treatment, which in individual units costs between 300 and 400 thousand pesos.
The doctor explains that the patients who receive care go through the operating room up to three times in a period that lasts up to a year from the assessment to the total reconstruction.
In addition, he said that the benefit applies mainly to women and pregnant people who do not have social security.
Reconstructive breast surgery in CDMX: Requirements and how to request it
According to Dr. Lya Vázquez, this procedure applies to people who have already finished their breast cancer treatment in one of the oncology units throughout Mexico City.
Once the patients request it, an assessment is made on the type of cancer and the presence of some other disease such as diabetes, hypertension or obesity.
When breast reconstruction is approved, it takes about 35 days to perform the surgical process with autologous tissues.
“We take tissue from the same patient from the back, abdomen, buttocks, the internal region, in the groin and/or thighs, or with prosthetic material”, explains the doctor.
To access breast reconstruction surgery, the capital’s Ministry of Health invites women to approach the Rubén Leñero hospital to request an assessment. This is located at Calle Plan de San Luis and Prolongación Díaz Mirón s/n Colonia Santo Tomas, ZIP Code 11340, Mayor Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City.
You can also ask your health center to refer you to said medical unit.
Breast cancer is the type of cancer that causes the most deaths in Mexico; however, it is not because it is the most lethal due to its characteristics, but because it is the most common and is not treated on time.
The Breast Cancer Foundation (Fucam) explained to El Financiero that timely attention makes the condition one of the most treatable and economical.
