In brief
Healthcare workers in Mexico are striking across Monterrey and other cities, blocking avenues and rallying for higher pay, increased staffing, and an end to persistent shortages of drugs and equipment. An emergency plan announced by IMSS Director Zoe Robledo offers an 8% wage increase and other measures, but workers say the proposals fall short of their demands. Protest continues amid concerns that medical professionals are leaving public hospitals.
On 7 November 2026, Mexico’s health workers, mainly from the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), took to the streets of Monterrey, blocking major avenues and demanding higher wages, more staff and an end to chronic shortages of medicines and medical supplies.
IMSS Director Zoe Robledo announced a 12‑point emergency plan that will run through February 2027, including an 8% wage increase, equipment upgrades, facility maintenance and measures to secure medication supplies; however, workers say the offer does not meet their broader demands.
Jose Rosales, a specialist in pathology and molecular biochemistry
We have reached a breaking point.
Rosales told Anadolu that over the years, inadequate pay, a lack of necessary supplies and a retirement system no longer attractive have been persistent problems that are pushing medical professionals away from public hospitals.
Earlier this month, the march stalled traffic for more than an hour on 21 October as protesters chanted “The COVID heroes have come out again.” The blocades continued into the week, with smaller demonstrations in Mexico City and Monterrey, all insisting that conditions are getting worse for patients and staff alike.
One eyewitness, reporting through Anadolu, described the plight of a family whose hospitalized mother received only paracetamol, forcing relatives to purchase drugs themselves and underscored the stressful environment that fuels the movement’s call, “Make sure you don’t get sick, because there are no supplies.”
Unfazed, the protesters have vowed to stay in the streets until their demands for fair pay and adequate resources are met, claiming that their union has failed to protect their interests under the current framework.
