Not all medicine in Mexico is paid for foreigners and not all requires prior registration of insurance. Anyone who has CURP — a unique number of a Mexican resident, in other words temporary and permanent residents, can benefit from INSABI medical care free of charge. INSABI, or the Federal Institute of Health for Welfare, is a decentralized body within the Mexican Ministry of Health and replaced the Seguro Popular public insurance system. (From 2023, INSABI changed its name to IMSS-Bienestar).
INSABI focuses on providing basic healthcare needs, covers approximately 250 procedures and health conditions and offers three levels of service. The first two are free and include consultations, medications, routine preventive examinations, laboratory and imaging tests, including diagnostic tests for sexually transmitted diseases, injections, hospitalization and emergency care, general surgery (minor surgical steps), pediatrics, internal medicine and even a gynecologist-obstetrician. Childbirth and fractures are considered «basic» surgical interventions and are also covered by INSABI. There are no age restrictions.
INSABI provides free medical services for the treatment of the following diseases and situations:
- General diseases and emergency assistance:
- ARVI, colds and flu
- Diarrhea and dehydration
- High blood pressure
- Allergic reactions
- Diabetes (outpatient treatment)
- Chronic diseases:
- Hypertension
- Diabetes mellitus (treatment and control)
- Infectious diseases:
- Tuberculosis
- Malaria
- Hepatitis (depending on type)
- Protection of motherhood and childhood:
- Prenatal care
- Accompaniment during childbirth
- Pediatric services
- Vaccination of children
- Oncological diseases:
- Breast cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Leukemia in children (partial)
- Dentistry:
- Basic dental services, including tooth extraction (don't get your hopes up, there are waiting lists 3 months in advance)
- Surgical assistance:
- Operations in emergency cases
HIV and AIDS are additionally treated without payment, however, within the framework of other special medical programs such as CAPASITS.
The third level of service is paid and covers 66 diseases requiring highly specialized treatment. This includes, say, cardiovascular surgery, hemodialysis or radiation therapy. INSABI does not have the ability to treat many complex diseases, for this reason they will simply redirect to other hospitals and clinics. Then an additional fee or procedure for purchasing other medical programs may be required.
Foreign citizens without residenceMexico is able to purchase free medical care only in emergency cases:
- In emergency cases (accidents, injuries, heart attacks, appendicitis, etc.), doctors in public hospitals are required to provide assistance, even if the patient is not a citizen or resident of Mexico.
- Diseases that pose a public danger (for example, tuberculosis or coronavirus) will be treated free of charge within the framework of government programs.
In other cases, nonresident foreigners will usually need to pay for treatment or obtain advance health insurance, most often in their home country, or obtain residency in Mexico to access the Mexican public health care system. At the same time, the cost of treatment in public clinics is several times lower than in private ones.
Usually, access to drugs prescribed by INSABI doctors is free, however, drugs are not always available in the free pharmacy. If you need a cursory examination to fill a prescription, it is easier to go to a doctor at any chain pharmacy and pay 50 pesos per appointment. Likewise, not all diagnostic tests are free, but they are offered at a very low cost compared to private laboratories.
To contact INSABI medical institutions you need:
- CURP printout (just the code on the resident card will not work),
- temporary or permanent resident card, original and copy on both sides,
- a recent utility bill to verify your home address and health care service area,
- confirmation that you do not have public insurance IMSS (Constancia de Vigencia de No Derechohabiencia) — download allowedHere— click on the «Tramitar Constancia» button,
- confirmation that you do not have public insurance ISSSTE (Constancia de acreditación de no afliación) — downloadHere.
You need to come to a medical facility and go to the information window in the general queue. They will fill out a medical record for you and refer you to a professional. The social health care system is structured in exactly the same way in many countries, including Ukraine and Russia. The premises can be unpresentable, and the queues are long. The waiting list for surgery, except in emergency cases and pediatrics, can be several weeks or months. But for free.
Loading
Doctors who work in INSABI institutions often have private practices, for this reason it is incorrect to assume that the doctors working there are of low level. The incentive for doctors to work for INSABI is to acquire various benefits, affordable housing, pensions and skill levels. It was the retention of human resources for health that was one of the main goals of the creation of INSABI. However, in commercial hospitals the consultant system is structured the same way.
INSABI has 153 health facilities throughout the country: 42 hospitals and 111 health centers, which are located in the federal health system.
Public health care at INSABI and IMSS hospitals is very different, but that doesn't mean one is better or worse than the other. In large cities, service at INSABI is at a fairly high level, but in rural areas it is noticeably worse. For example, in Cancun, INSABI operates at the General Hospital (Hospital General de Cancún «Jesús Kumate Rodríguez»), and it is a large and modern clinic, while most IMSS hospitals in Cancun are noticeably inferior and their equipment may be outdated.
INSABI health services are only available to those who are not covered by any public health programs. You are not able to seek treatment from INSABI if you have IMSS or ISSSTE government insurance. Where can I purchase proof that you do not have these two insurances — see above.
We have not found a website that lists all INSABI health facilities in Mexico. To find such institutions near you, you need to enter «insabi» in a Google search. + name of the city where you live + «ubicacion».