Lilette A. Contreras, GPJ Mexico In public and private hospitals in Mexico, many patients and their families must provide blood for their treatment. CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO — In October 2023, Rebeca set out to buy blood — a crime in Mexico — to save her brother’s life.
Suffering injuries from a bullet wound, he had been admitted to a public medical center in the northern city of Chihuahua. Medical personnel performed surgery to save his life. However, this meant his family would be in debt to the hospital — and not financially.
They owed blood. “After the operation, my brother took a turn for the worse, and we had to readmit him,” Rebeca says in tears. The Chihuahua resident, like many interviewed for this article, asked that her last name not be used for fear of legal repercussions.
“They had to operate on him a second time, but they postponed it because we owed units of blood from the last time and we needed even more.” Chihuahua ranks third nationally in giving blood to treat anyone who needs it. In Mexico, only 6.
8% of donated blood falls into that category. The rest needs to be obtained by a patient’s loved ones. Other donations are earmarked for specific individuals.
This forces many to buy blood, which is punishable with prison time under the Ley General de Salud, a set of laws and regulations governing the country’s health care. Lilette A. Contreras, GPJ Mexico Special chairs for altruistic blood donors at the State Blood Transfusion Center in Chihuahu.
