Overview
- The Centro Estatal de Oncología in Hermosillo began using a new linear accelerator on Thursday, April 16, after Governor Alfonso Durazo unveiled the 80 million peso machine during a live link to President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning briefing.
- Officials say the equipment will double radiotherapy capacity from about 11,000 to 22,000 sessions each year and cut typical waits from six months to one month.
- Treatment on the new system will be free through IMSS-Bienestar, the federal program that provides no-cost public health services.
- Alongside the launch, state and federal leaders announced four projects now in development: a Regional Hospital of the Río Sonora in Ures, a Community Hospital in Miguel Alemán, a full upgrade of the Cruz del Norte Mental Health Unit, and a reorganization of the state children’s hospital.
- The Río Sonora hospital is billed as a response to needs left by a 2014 chemical spill, which, along with long-delayed mental health upgrades, signals a plan aimed at chronic service gaps in the region.