Today, February 22, 2023, Governor Marina del Pilar revealed on her weekly press conference that she has signed a decree whose goal is to penalize any doctor who performs surgical procedures without the necessary credentials to operate.

During the 66th edition of Wednesday Morning Press Conference with Marina del Pilar which took place in Mexicali, Marina del Pilar emphasized that it is very important to be completely certain that procedures are performed by certified specialists, as medical tourism creates an economic and wellbeing revenue for Baja Californian families.

With that goal in mind, the governor explained that the Secretariat of Health, through the State Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COEPRIS), has joined efforts with the State Prosecutor’s Agency (FGE) to permanently inspect health establishments.

Regarding this, the Judicial Counselor of Baja California, Juan José Pon Méndez, highlighted the concrete actions promoted by Governor Marina del Pilar to safeguard patients’ health and, at the same time, give certainty to all doctors who work correctly while following the law.

For his part, the Secretary of Health of Baja California, J. Adrián Medina Amarillas, highlighted the importance of monitoring clinics to demand both the areas and the staff have the certifications that certify them to perform different procedures or treat patients.

“With these visits made by COEPRIS, we have been very emphatic: us, as the regulator department of COEPRIS, have the ability to suspend or close any establishment where these procedures are taking place. Once a lawsuit has been submitted to FGE by COEPRIS and the Secretariat of Health due to these procedures, they will investigate and will be able to legally proceed against any doctor who performs any surgery without being certified,” the state official said.

During his participation, the Central Prosecutor of Baja California, Rafael Orozco Vargas, stated that people performing surgical procedures with no certifications will be sentenced to five years in prison, making it clear that through safety monitoring of patients, the staff that is treating them is ready for this task.

The governor highlighted that medical tourism represented in 2022 an economic revenue of 29,500 billion pesos, and recently, the State Congress approved to make penalties harder to anyone who performs surgeries that they are not specialized in, as this practice risks patients’ lives.

It should be noted that, in the last 10 days, state authorities have visited 89 health establishments, 17 of which have been closed. This is part of the investigations carried out by FGE with the permanent support by staff from the Secretariat of Health.