[January 07, 2011] Mexico City to install free clinics on subway Tweet Mexico City, Jan 7, 2011 (EFE via COMTEX) -- The municipal government in the Mexican capital will inaugurate clinics providing free medical attention on its subway, which transports 4 million passengers a day. The purpose of the service is to provide people with "free attention for the prevention and diagnosis of illnesses without having to interrupt their everyday routines," Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said Thursday at the announcement of the program. In 2009 the subway established cubicles for giving vaccinations against the swine flu epidemic, and at the same time improved its hygiene to keep it from becoming a hotspot of contagion, given the crowds of passengers that pass through every day. The system, whose operating costs are heavily subsidized by the Mexico City government, has in its underground stations a considerable number of stores, fast-food restaurants and peddlers. The capital's subway system has 355 trains, 11 lines, 175 stations and a total of 176.7 kilometers (110 miles) of track. Ebrard did not offer any further information about the subway's upcoming medical services, which he mentioned as part of a statement about the city's health-care system in general, which has 31 hospitals and 250 clinics and which sees 3.8 million patients a year, he said. The city itself has approximately 9 million inhabitants, a number that increases to 19 million when the entire metropolitan area is included. Close to 4 million people travel daily from the outskirts to work in the metropolis. Ebrard said that this year new hospitals will be opened and a series of free medical programs will be continued. EFE jrp/cd [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]