Nursing staff at a Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) hospital in Mexico City blocked the avenue outside the facilities on Friday to protest a lack of supplies to face the spread of the coronavirus Covid-19.

They complained of a shortage of face masks, gowns and gloves, a problem they have faced since before the arrival of the coronavirus in Mexico, they said.

“We have to go out and buy that stuff ourselves,” said one nurse in the protest. “This shortage has been going on for a long time, but now it’s getting worse because of the coronavirus.”

He said that they have seen possible cases of Covid-19 at the hospital but have not been able to attend to them as they haven’t received any training.

Another nurse said that on the rare occasions when supplies are provided, they’re not of good quality and often break or must be replaced more often than necessary.

“They give us face masks that soon break. We need more materials to attend to patients and protect ourselves,” she said.

The protesters demanded to speak with the director of the hospital, and a committee of five was formed and received by the hospital administration to open a dialogue.

The number of cases of Covid-19 in Mexico rose to 164 on Thursday.

Health workers at another IMMS hospital in Mexico City’s Tlatelolco neighborhood protested for the same reasons on Thursday. IMSS announced that same evening that it had supplied the hospital with what it needed.

The Mexican health system has also been experiencing shortages of cancer medications for nearly a year, and parents and family members of cancer patients have been protesting regularly to pressure the government to solve the problem.

Source: Reforma (sp)