IMSS-Bienestar Launches National Telemedicine Program for Rural Communities

Overview

• Operations began in San Quintín, Chiapas, with a pediatric specialist consultation delivered from Tuxtla Gutiérrez that spared a 286-kilometer trip taking more than 11 hours.
• IMSS-Bienestar projects up to 25,000 effective teleconsultations this year following the nationwide launch announced by director Alejandro Svarch.
• The first phase installs nine telemedicine nodes in Chiapas with additional units in Nayarit and Sinaloa, followed by expansion to Michoacán and to Yaqui and Purépecha communities.
• The model rests on clinical connectivity, technological interoperability, and continuous training of personnel to ensure accessible, community-adapted care at no cost.
• Officials report the effort aligns with recent medicine restocking under Rutas de la Salud, which from October 27–31 supplied 8,394 health centers, 32,577 medical kits, and more than 70 million medicine pieces.