Day 686 — Sheinbaum Reports 60% Jump in Specialist Consultations, 32 New Hospitals Toward Universal Health System

On August 18, 2026 (Day 686, Tuesday), President Sheinbaum presented healthcare-system figures at her mañanera: specialist consultations rose 60% between Jan–Jul 2022 and the same period of 2026; IMSS reported 64.9 million family-medicine consultations, 19.7 million specialty consultations, and 1.1 million surgeries; IMSS-Bienestar logged 4 million consultations in July 2026 alone, its highest month yet, with a goal of 100 million annual consultations by 2030; and ISSSTE said it exceeded its 2025 surgical target (308,579 vs. 300,000 planned), with consultations climbing from 12.96 million (2024) to 15.29 million (Jan–Jul 2026). She said 32 specialty hospitals are now operating, with 39 targeted by year-end, and that new electronic health records should cut specialist wait times.