City Cancer Challenge
City project

Patient Navigation Programme

Developing Patient Navigation Programmes to Improve Access to Cancer Care in Léon and Mexico City
City
León, Mexico
Project lead
Dr. Claudia Karina Anaya
Areas of action

The challenge

  • The segmentation and fragmentation of Mexico’s healthcare system create major barriers to equitable access to quality cancer care.
  • In León, cancer care is delivered across multiple public and private institutions with limited coordination, leading to gaps in access and continuity of care.
  • Many patients are diagnosed at advanced stages, resulting in poorer outcomes, reduced quality of life, and higher healthcare costs.
  • From the patient perspective, misinformation and limited awareness about cancer and treatment options are major barriers to timely care.
  • A needs assessment survey revealed that 71% of cancer patients in León did not receive adequate information about their treatment and care approach.
  • The absence of structured patient navigation programmes limits the health system’s ability to address access barriers and guide patients through complex care pathways.

The goal

  • To improve timely, coordinated, and equitable access to cancer care for patients with breast cancer and lung cancer in public health institutions in León and Mexico City through the development and implementation planning of patient navigation programmes.
  • To strengthen institutional capacity and foster inter-institutional collaboration and shared learning.

The How

  • Designing context-specific patient navigation programmes tailored to the organisational, clinical, and social realities of participating public health institutions.
  • Training at least 35 health professionals in patient navigation principles, roles, and implementation planning.
  • Developing detailed implementation plans, including workflows, referral pathways, monitoring indicators, and sustainability considerations.
  • Supporting the creation of navigation programmes in public institutions in León, Celaya, and Mexico City.
  • Establishing a learning community to promote shared learning, exchange of best practices, and continuous improvement in cancer care navigation.

Outputs

  • Development of patient navigation programmes for public health institutions in León, Guanajuato . (Secretary of Health Guanajuato State.
  • Development of a patient navigation programme for High-Specialty Medical Unit of the Bajío, Specialty Hospital No. 1, Bajío National Medical Center, Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS)
  • Development of a patient navigation programme for public institutions in Mexico City. 
  • Establishment of a community of practice for patient navigators in Mexico.

Team

Project Lead
Dr. Claudia Karina Anaya, Health Secretariat of the State of Guanajuato
Project Team
Dr. Claudia Karina Anaya Moreno, Headquarters, Health Secretariat of the State of Guanajuato
Dr. Rosa Olivia Guerra Vázquez, León General Hospital, Health Secretariat of the State of Guanajuato
Dr. Diana Yareni López Ángeles, Celaya Maternity Hospital, Health Secretariat of the State of Guanajuato
Dr. Rosa Angela Gutiérrez Aguilar, Headquarters, Health Secretariat of the State of Guanajuato
Leticia Micaela Martínez López, Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Headquarters, Health Secretariat of the State of Guanajuato
Dr. Roxana Sánchez Larios, Celaya Maternity Hospital, Health Secretariat of the State of Guanajuato
Edgardo Hernández Olivares, Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and Obstetrics, Headquarters, Health Secretariat of the State of Guanajuato
Dr. Pamela Estefanía Ortiz Sauza, Celaya Maternity Hospital, Health Secretariat of the State of Guanajuato
Dr. Eduardo Arturo Limón Rodríguez, León General Hospital, Health Secretariat of the State of Guanajuato
María Magdalena Alderete Hurtado, Social Worker, León General Hospital, Health Secretariat of the State of Guanajuato
Dr. Ana Helena Sánchez Villegas, León General Hospital, Health Secretariat of the State of Guanajuato
Evelia Negrete Flores, Social Worker, High Specialty Medical Unit No. 1, Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS)
María del Carmen López Muñoz, Social Worker, High Specialty Medical Unit No. 1, Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS)
Claudia Terán Godínez, Deputy Director of Oncology Nursing, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
Dr. Emma L. Verástegui Avilés, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
María del Rosario Escobar Hernández, Social Worker, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
Cinthya Elizabeth Arzate Mireles, Psychologist, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
Luisa Fernanda Juárez Luna, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
María Guadalupe Mendoza Cano, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
Rosa Laura Hernández Gudiño, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
María Citlaly Cruz Porras, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
Nancy Vianney Hinojosa González, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
Lucia del Pilar Theurel Sangeado, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
Guadalupe López Muñoz, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
Ana María Castillo García, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
Gloria Alejandra Vega Solís, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
Marisol Venegas Aguirre, National Cancer Institute (INCan)
Dr. Carla Paola Sánchez Ríos, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER)
Perla Yisela Fernández Lujano, Social Worker, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER)
Carolina Cedillo Alquicira, General Hospital Dr. Manuel Gea González
Jovita Velázquez López, General Hospital Dr. Manuel Gea González
Wendy Alicia Ramos López, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ)
Dr. Yanin Chávarri Guerra, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ)
Tania Molina Conzuelo, Mexico City Health Services

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