Seguro Popular to offer medical care to immigrants

7/25/11 – Seguro Popular, a government funded social program that addresses the health and wellness of Mexicans nationwide, announced on July 25 that it will now be providing access to free medical care, medicine, and specialized treatments for deported migrants for up to three months. Immigrants who are deported from the United States into Mexico often lack documentation and work experience, making it hard for them to find work or acquire social aid. Seguro Popular’s new program does not require migrants to show any sort of identification, proof of work, or residency, nor pay any charges for the health care services.

Given the dislocation of deported migrants who are sent back to Mexico and often times left in a foreign city or state, Mirna Rincón, the general director of the Health Department (Secretaría de Salud) in Tijuana, said that “the intention [of the program] is to support [migrants] while they decide if they will stay in the region or return to their hometown.” As part of the health program, a number of deported immigrants received vaccines against the measles on Monday, following reports that the infection had appeared in San Diego, California, which is just across the border from Tijuana, Baja California.

As part of its outreach, Seguro Popular representatives visit Mexico’s National Institute for Migration (Instituto Nacional de Migración) on a weekly basis to promote their programs, which will now include the access to free medical care, and assist individuals with signing up. Last year, Seguro Popular registered 2,500 Mexicans in one day alone in Tijuana, Baja California at an event promoting the program and its policies.

Sources

“Encabeza Mirna Rincón entrega de 2,500 pólizas” El Sol de Tijuana. August 14, 2010.

Durán, Laura. “Darán pólizas de Seguro Popular a migrantes repatriados” Frontera. July 25, 2011.

“Migrantes se vacunan” XHAS News. July 25, 2011.

Sánchez, Ana. “Apoya Seguro Popular a migrantes repatriados” El Sol de Tijuana. July 26, 2o11.