Today President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will inaugurate the Megafarmacia para el Bienestar, a 9-hectare mega warehouse that will have all the medicines that are distributed in the health sector. It will have a storage capacity of 286 million pharmaceuticals and will be able to supply 1,806 medicines, vaccines, and healing materials to hospitals and health centers within a maximum period of 24 to 48 hours.
The Mexican government carried out a biannual consolidated purchase of medicines to acquire almost 4.19 billion items for 219 billion pesos (US$12.93 billion), which meant a savings of 55.1 billion pesos (US$3.25 billion). The President recalled that previously, the purchase of pharmaceuticals was managed by a mafia; 10 companies charged 100 billion pesos (US$5.90 billion) a year for medicines. «It was a business impregnated with corruption and influence peddling,» he said.
Beneficiaries of the IMSS, ISSSTE or IMSS Bienestar health-care programs who did not find their prescription drugs in the pharmacy of their medical unit will be able to request them at the Megafarmacia, by calling 55 9500 0911.
The President announced that the conflict with Vulcan Materials will be resolved by the first quarter of 2024 at the latest. The purchase of the land where the Calica extraction plant is located, in Quintana Roo, has not been ruled out. This area, he recalled, was overexploited, causing ecological devastation, which is why they will seek to convert it into a natural reserve.
U.S. President Joe Biden thanked his Mexican counterpart for receiving the White House delegation to discuss immigration issues. He acknowledged the efforts of the Mexican government to address the humanitarian crisis.
On December 31, President López Obrador will inaugurate the Cancun-Palenque route of the Maya Train. This is why operations were temporarily halted, to test trains and tracks.
