Donations and Medical Services Sustain Red Cross Operations in Riviera Maya

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The Red Cross in Playa del Carmen and Tulum maintains its 24-hour operations primarily through donations and revenue from low-cost medical services, according to the organization’s new director.

Isabel Menocal Solórzano, who heads the Playa del Carmen-Tulum delegation, explained that recovery fees from consultations and medical services provide crucial funding to cover operational expenses, particularly ambulance maintenance. “We provide very economical service to the population 24 hours a day in Playa del Carmen, and if we request a fee, that allows us to maintain the ambulances, which are very expensive,” she said.

The institution operates with a reduced staff of eight to ten workers in Tulum and about 30 people in Playa del Carmen. Despite these limitations, Menocal Solórzano emphasized her commitment to ensuring service continuity. “It’s my responsibility that operations aren’t obstructed by lack of resources,” she stated.

Regarding fundraising, she noted that volunteers continue to conduct collection drives, though their financial impact has diminished. “We do collection drives here, but now it’s more about visibility than what it represents in fundraising,” she commented.

Menocal Solórzano recalled that the Red Cross has historically depended on donations for its functioning. “The Red Cross is a sensitive organization that people have kept in mind since its founding in 1863 in Switzerland, and it lives on donations,” she affirmed.

In addition to medical consultations, the institution offers emergency ambulance services, low-cost X-ray studies, and first aid training as alternative income sources.

She added that in coming days, the organization will receive funds from Oxxo store round-up programs, which will be used to strengthen medical services in both cities.