The Ministry of Finance and Public Credit cut almost 41,000 million pesos to the Secretaries of Health and Education and, in contrast, sent an extra 20,000 million pesos to the Ministry of Tourism, in charge of the , a priority for the federal government.
2022 began with one caused by the Ómicron variable and with an approved expense of 83,017 million pesos for the Ministry of Health, for the period January to June.
State health services were not strengthened
But, after six months, modifications to spending and a new wave of COVID in the summer, the government cut 16,046 million pesos to Health, which is equivalent to 6.4% of the programmable budget spending. This is based on the second quarterly report of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP).
Among the most important modifications for Health are those made in the Central Sector, the National Center for Gender Equity and Reproductive Health, the National Center for Technological Excellence in Health and the National Bioethics Commission.
The causes of these cuts, according to the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, were “lower expenses for health care; to the Vaccination Program; for administrative support activities; and without resources used to strengthen state health services”.
However, there were also adjustments in a positive sense. In the case of the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks, the budget went from 758.5 million pesos programmed, to 1,002 million pesos after adaptation, an increase of 322.1%.
Similarly, the budget of the Ismael Cosío Villegas National Institute of Respiratory Diseases increased 17.9%, going from 1,715.6 million pesos to 2,022.9 million pesos.
Less spending on ‘Benito Juárez’ scholarships
Education was not spared either, since the Ministry of Public Education suffered a reduction in its budget of 24,926.6 million pesos, which is equivalent to a change of -17.9%.
Among the main causes of adaptation to spending, according to the SHCP, are “less resources for the programs: Benito Juárez Basic Education Scholarships for Welfare, Universal Scholarship for Benito Juárez High School Students and the School is Ours.”
Tourism and Mayan Train earn more than 20,000 million pesos extra
In contrast, as of the first semester of 2022, the Ministry of Tourism in charge of the Mayan Train has seen an increase in its budget of almost 20,000 million extra pesos, compared to the original budget of their respective items.
At the beginning of 2022, Tourism had a scheduled expense of 13,485 million pesos, but, after the adjustments, the budget shot up to 52,212 million pesos; an increase of 20,901 million pesos equivalent to 260% of the original.
Specifically, in the branch of Supported Entities, the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fonatur) appears with an increase in its budget of 16,702 million pesos, this fund is one of those responsible for the construction of the Mayan Train.
But there is also the Fonatur Tren Maya, whose approved expenditure was 289.5 million pesos, but which, after modifications in the first half of the year, is now 482.5 million pesos.
In fact, the increase in programmable spending by the Ministry of Tourism is due to an “increase in mass passenger transportation projects; pre-investment studies; and infrastructure maintenance.
It must be remembered that, at the beginning of 2022, the Mayan Train had already assigned its largest budget since the project began, almost 62.942 million pesos, equivalent to 39% of the total cost at that time. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wants this work to be completed by the end of 2023.
