Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds

• 🏥 Robledo presents 12-action plan for IMSS: IMSS director Zoé Robledo presented a plan of “12 actions” to be completed in 120 days in response to protests by IMSS workers. It includes an 8% salary increase, the transition of almost 11,000 temporary workers into permanent positions, the hiring of 2,500 specialist doctors and the provision of more than 18,000 additional beds and gurneys. The plan also promises “guaranteed” medicines and medical supplies, a program to clear the surgical backlog and the “strengthening” of emergency departments.
• 🇧🇷 Sheinbaum recounts “very emotional” call with Lula: The president said her Monday phone call with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was brief and that the reelected Brazilian president was “very happy, very excited” about the response from Brazilians at the ballot box. Sheinbaum said she invited Lula to visit Mexico and he invited her to go to Brazil. The two agreed to talk again to set a date and agenda for the visits.
• 🗳️ Sheinbaum rejects claims Morena is to blame for INE problems: A day after endorsing Guadalupe Taddei’s resignation as National Electoral Institute (INE) president, Sheinbaum reiterated her call for a comprehensive audit of the electoral authority. She pushed back on journalist Carlos Loret de Mola’s claim that “Taddei is Morena,” saying: “Don’t come and tell us… that Morena is the problem.” Sheinbaum noted that Taddei was elected INE president in 2023 by the Chamber of Deputies.

Why today’s mañanera matters

Improving Mexico’s public healthcare system is one of the various challenges faced by the Sheinbaum administration, which has now been in office for almost 25 months. Deficiencies in the system have been brought into sharp focus this month by protesting workers from the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), Mexico’s largest public healthcare provider.

At President Sheinbaum’s Tuesday morning press conference, IMSS general director Zoé Robledo presented a plan aimed at improving conditions in IMSS hospitals and for IMSS workers, whose demands have included higher pay, the hiring of additional healthcare personnel in order to ease excessive workloads and an end to shortages of medicines and medical supplies.

The plan is the federal government’s most comprehensive response to IMSS workers’ complaints and demands. Its presentation came four days after the government unveiled a new initiative aimed at resolving long-running problems related to the supply and distribution of medications.

Government turning to AI to solve the acknowledged problem of medication shortages

Whether the government’s latest initiatives significantly improve conditions in IMSS healthcare facilities and satisfy workers remains to be seen. Medicine shortages have persisted despite government efforts to address the problem through initiatives such as the establishment of a “mega-pharmacy” in 2023 and the creation of a distribution scheme called “Rutas de la Salud” (Health Routes) last year.

Also of note at today’s mañanera were Sheinbaum’s remarks about her telephone conversation on Monday with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was reelected on Sunday.

The president indicated that she will travel to Brazil at some point in the not-too-distant future.

A key focus of face-to-face talks between Sheinbaum and Lula would likely be the fledgling partnership between Mexico’s Pemex and Brazil’s Petrobras that is aimed at boosting oil production in the Gulf of Mexico.

Robledo presents 12-action plan for IMSS 

Early in the press conference, Robledo presented a plan for IMSS healthcare facilities consisting of “12 actions” to be completed in a period of 120 days starting today.

He said that the actions in the plan “stem from what the [IMSS] workers themselves told us” and are needed.

The 12 “actions” of the plan Robledo presented are as follows:

• An 8% salary increase for IMSS workers.
• The transition of almost 11,000 temporary workers into permanent positions.
• The hiring of 2,500 specialist doctors.
• The provision of 100 pieces of high-tech medical equipment to IMSS hospitals.
• The provision of 2,917 other pieces of medical equipment to IMSS hospitals.
• The provision of more than 18,000 additional beds and gurneys to IMSS hospitals.
• The commencement of a “permanent maintenance” program.
• The “guaranteed” provision of medicines and medical supplies.
• The “complete” provision of medications in IMSS pharmacies.
• The commencement of a program aimed at clearing the surgical backlog in IMSS hospitals.
• The provision of specialist medical appointments in December. (Robledo explained that appointments scheduled for December have commonly been rescheduled to January or even February.)
• The “strengthening” of emergency departments, including via the hiring of additional personnel.

Sheinbaum recounts ‘very emotional’ call with Lula 

Sheinbaum told reporters that her telephone conversation with Lula on Monday was “very emotional.”

“As you can imagine, he is very happy, very excited about the response from the people of Brazil” in Sunday’s election, she said.

🇲🇽🇧🇷Claudia Sheinbaum y Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva preparan un encuentro entre México y Brasil.

La presidenta reveló que sostuvo una llamada telefónica “muy emotiva” con el presidente electo brasileño, en la que ambos intercambiaron invitaciones para visitar sus respectivos países.

“Fue una llamada breve, lo invité a que viniera a México… me invitó a que fuera a Brasil”, contó Sheinbaum.

Acordaron una segunda conversación para definir la fecha del encuentro.

🗞️Israel Aldave | @Radio_Formula

— Azucena Uresti (@azucenau) October 27, 2026

“It was a brief call and I invited him to come to Mexico and he invited me to go to Brazil,” Sheinbaum said.

“We agreed to talk at another time to confirm and to set a date and agenda for these visits,” she said.

Sheinbaum rejects claims that Morena is to blame for problems at the INE 

A day after endorsing Guadalupe Taddei’s decision to resign as president of the National Electoral Institute (INE), Sheinbaum reiterated her call for a comprehensive audit of the electoral authority to be carried out.

Taddei resigned amid allegations that lucrative INE contracts were improperly awarded to companies controlled by a businessman with whom she has a close personal relationship.

After advocating “constant audits” of the INE, Sheinbaum rejected claims that the ruling Morena party is responsible for improper conduct at the INE.

“Don’t come and tell us, like [journalist Carlos] Loret de Mola did yesterday, that Morena is the problem,” she said.

Sheinbaum highlighted that Taddei was elected INE president in 2023 by the Chamber of Deputies.

Taddei’s election occurred via sortition — also known as selection by lottery — as none of the candidates for president of the INE had the support of the required two-thirds of lawmakers in the lower house of Congress. At the time of her election, questions were raised about her family links to both the government and Morena.

In an El Universal column published on Monday under the headline “Taddei is Morena,” Loret de Mola described Taddei as a “morenista” and effectively accused the INE of favoring the ruling party under her leadership.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)