CIFAL Merida
17 October 2025, Merida, Mexico – As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Merida (CIFAL Merida), an affiliated training centre of UNITAR, in coordination with the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), hosted a workshop entitled “Education for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer”. The initiative aimed to encourage self-examination and promote timely health care among airport employees and service providers.
The session took place in the airport’s multipurpose hall and was led by specialists from the IMSS Breast Cancer Detection and Diagnostic Unit. The team was headed by Dr Gregorio Gaona Castañeda and Public Health Nurse Specialist Ms Juanita Matilde Medina Azcorra, under the direction of Dr Jose Alberto Vivar Mundo.
Participants included representatives from airlines, service providers, and airport authorities. The speakers presented up-to-date information on the incidence of breast cancer in Mexico and Yucatan, highlighting that, according to data from INEGI, around 22 women die every day from this disease nationwide. In Yucatan alone, 349 new cases were reported in 2024, representing an increase compared with the previous year.
CIFAL Merida
Dr Gaona emphasised the importance of diagnostic mammography as a key tool for early detection and urged women to visit the IMSS Breast Clinic to undergo preventive screening. Meanwhile, Nurse Ms Medina Azcorra outlined the services available through the institutional programme, including screening campaigns, diagnostic assessments, and personalised guidance.
At the conclusion of the workshop, Mr Oscar Carrillo Maldonado, Administrator of Merida International Airport, expressed his gratitude to the IMSS for its collaboration and willingness to extend specialised health services to members of the airport community. He underlined that inter-institutional cooperation strengthens wellbeing and preventive health efforts across the airport.
This initiative forms part of the joint actions promoted by Merida Airport and CIFAL Merida, chaired by Mr Hector Navarrete Muñoz, to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being. The programme seeks to foster healthier, more aware working environments and support disease prevention.
Through activities such as this, Grupo ASUR reaffirms its commitment to health, inclusion, and social responsibility, aligning its internal programmes with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.