The Jalisco government announced Monday that it will invest more than 6 billion pesos in health care infrastructure over the next three years.

Governor Enrique Alfaro, whose six year term will end in 2024, said that his administration will spend 6.16 billion pesos (US $301.5 million) to build new hospitals and health care centers and upgrade existing ones.

The investment will be made without taking on debt, he said, explaining that the resources will come from tax revenue and a reassignment of the state budget.

“We’re not going to take on one peso of debt, it’s very important to clarify that,” Alfaro said.

The governor, who has hinted at a presidential run in 2024, said that his government’s aim is for Jalisco to have the best public health system in the country when he leaves office.

Funds will be allocated across the western state, which has 125 municipalities. Among the existing hospitals that will get upgrades are the Hospital Civil de Oriente in Tonalá, the Jalisco Cancer Institute in state capital Guadalajara and the Zoquipan Maternity and Children’s Hospital in Zapopan. Many community and regional hospitals will also be upgraded.

“With this plan we’re seeking to finish [by the end of 2024] all the health infrastructure projects we need to have Jalisco as a state leader in … public health,” Alfaro said.

He also said his government is aiming to be able to provide health care services to all Jalisco residents who don’t have access to social security benefits.

“At the end of the day that was the commitment we made when the Jalisco government decided not to join the … [federal universal healthcare] model,” Alfaro said.

The government’s proposed investment in 2022, 2023 and 2024 is more than triple the amount it spent on health care infrastructure between 2019 and 2021. In Alfaro’s first three years in office, the government spent 1.66 billion pesos (US $81.2 million) on upgrading and maintaining the state’s health care facilities.

Mexico News Daily