Patient Population
Citizens and legal foreign residents of Mexico who are employed by or who own a licensed business, qualify for free health care under the federal government's Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), known by its more common, shorter Spanish acronym of "Seguro Social."
Those who do not qualify for free Seguro Social services have the option of paying an annual fee for its health services.
Another national heath care option is Seguro Popular, which charges a one-time admission fee.
Private health insurance plans are also available, but are not affordable for poor and low-income people.
Most Seguro Social and Seguro Popular clinics and hospitals now provide HIV treatment, although some at times run short of the necessary medications, and not all of their physicians are well trained in HIV medicine. Those under the Seguro Popular program generally have even less medical resources than those with Seguro Social.
The primary purpose of the Acosida clinic is to provide free quality outpatient HIV treatment and medications for poor and low-income HIV patients of the Tijuana, Baja California region who do not qualify for or cannot afford any of the above-mentioned health care options. Acosida also provides supplementary treatment and medication for Seguro Social and Seguro Popular patients who come to us whenever those health providers cannot accomodate their prescriptions.
Acosida is the only private outpatient HIV-treatment facility in the Republic of Mexico that the United States Department of Justice and the California Department of Corrections refers seropositive Mexican inmates to in western Mexico for ongoing treatment upon their release and deportation. Several long-time Acosida patients who are ex-offenders serve as peer counselors for the new ex-offender patients.
Acosida serves an average of 50 ongoing patients per year.
The number of non-patients who come to the clinic for HIV counseling, blood-testing and other services average approximately 200 per year.
