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Health at the Border: Urgent Challenge for Sheinbaum

SIGUIENDO LOS PASOS DE JESUS (SPJ) EVENT | Dr. José Andrade and his son José, a medical student, participated in a recent medical and general health care event in El Paso. (Photos/Morgan Smith)

THERE ARE DEFICIENCIES IN MEDICAL SERVICES AT THE TEXAS-CHIHUAHUA BORDER, ESPECIALLY IN CIUDAD JUÁREZ.

Morgan Smith/ El Comercio de Colorado

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On Friday, August 9, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), and the newly elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum, visited Juárez to inaugurate a new public hospital. This was a positive event since the level of healthcare in the Juárez area is extremely deficient. The day after the visit, I was in the area and observed five examples that illustrate the seriousness of the situation.

Fernando and his older brother, Francisco, have owned a small tire repair business in Anapra for forty years. When I met them in 2019, I noticed that Francisco was suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Over time, his condition worsened, and Fernando, who has now lost both feet due to diabetes, also needs urgent medical attention.

Thanks to the organization Dignity Mission, we were able to provide him with a proper wheelchair, but this is just a small step. Where can a prosthesis be obtained? Is there any medical follow-up for his diabetes? Why isn’t there a home nursing program that provides continuous care?

Clinics and Mobile Units

On the other hand, the organization Following the Steps of Jesus (SPJ), a nonprofit based in El Paso, has been active in western Juárez for over twenty years. They have built more than 600 homes in the area and organize monthly clinics with doctors and nurses from El Paso. While this is an admirable effort, the question arises: why are there no basic medical services in this area?

More questions would arise. Why aren’t clinics or mobile medical units implemented with regular schedules? In my thirteen years of visits to the area, I have only once seen medical presence: three nurses dressed in white. As for mental health, the outlook is no better. Vision in Action, the largest mental health facility in Juárez, which houses about 120 patients, has survived for nearly thirty years without government support.

IN ANAPRA | Brothers Fernando and Francisco need medical attention for their health conditions.

Fighting Diabetes and Obesity

The lack of a follow-up system for patients after their recovery has resulted in tragedies, such as the case of two young women who relapsed into addiction and were murdered. Despite these challenges, there are potential solutions. In Palomas, about 60 miles to the west, the organization Border Partners has developed community gardens to improve local diets and reduce diabetes, an alarming problem in Mexico.

To better illustrate my point: Mexico is the second most obese country in the world. Could this technology and expertise from Border Partners be transferred to Juárez? I applaud AMLO and Sheinbaum for their visit and their focus on health. However, it is vital that they understand that the needs in this area are immense. With the right support, community leaders could help improve the situation with the limited resources available.