Regarding the resignation of Dr. Asa Cristina Laurell from the Undersecretary of Integration and Development (SIDSS) of the Ministry of Health of Mexico

The CLACSO Social Studies for Health Working Group, of which Dr. Asa Cristina Laurell has been a distinguished member since its creation in 2013, expresses its concern about the situation of the Mexican health system, which is reflected in the resignation of our colleague as head of the Undersecretariat for Integration and Development of the Health System (SIDSS) of the Ministry of Health of Mexico.

The presence of Dr. Asa Cristina Laurell in the Undersecretariat of Integration and Development of the Health Sector of the Federal Ministry of Health of Mexico of the government of the “Fourth Transformation” led by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, was celebrated in Latin America and the Caribbean because it represented the opportunity to advance in the long-awaited construction of a single and public health system, as the best means to guarantee the fundamental right to health for the entire population. 

While the AMLO administration decided to suspend the privatization model of the Seguro Popular (Popular Insurance) program implemented by previous governments, regaining control of federal public resources through the Institute of Health for Well-being (INSABI), it is deeply concerning that Dr. Laurell was sidelined from the implementation of this model during her tenure as Undersecretary, as she herself publicly denounced. This marginalization, especially amidst the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, which required strengthening the public health response from this new agency, was the true reason for her resignation, under pressure from the Secretary of Health. 

We express our belief that the resignation of our colleague and mentor, Asa Cristina Laurell, may be a sign of a missed historic opportunity for the government of the "Fourth Transformation" to make decisive progress in democratizing healthcare and guaranteeing this fundamental right through a public health system that halts the privatization of the Mexican healthcare system. We reiterate our full solidarity with her and will remain ready to work in the direction indicated by our Mexican colleagues to continue the regional struggle for Universal Health Systems, the need for which has never been clearer than during the current health crisis affecting the region and the world due to COVID-19.

July 2020
CLACSO Working Group
Social studies for health

This statement expresses the position of the Social Studies for Health Working Group and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.