Retired oil workers protest Oaxaca hospital's chronic shortages and care gaps

Retired oil workers in Juchitán staged a protest this week over chronic shortages at the Oaxacan Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The demonstration highlighted a lack of essential medications, lab supplies, and specialist doctors—issues that have left patients struggling for care. The hospital, designed to reduce maternal mortality in Oaxaca, operates with 120 beds, outpatient clinics, and a triage unit. Yet staff report a severe shortage of specialists, forcing critically ill patients to be transferred elsewhere. Doctors have repeatedly raised concerns about these gaps in care.

Around 200 retired oil workers joined the protest, demanding action on the shortages. They also criticised delays in reimbursing travel costs for patients moved to other facilities. The hospital’s ongoing struggles have left both staff and patients frustrated, with no immediate solution in sight.

The protest underscores long-standing problems at the hospital, where limited resources continue to disrupt patient care. Without more specialists and supplies, transfers to distant hospitals will likely remain a necessity for those in urgent need.