A doctor identified as Cyndi Estefanía Arreola Mercado, from General Hospital number 18 of the IMSS in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, physically attacked the relatives of a minor who exhibited the lack of attention on the part of the woman, who was talking with her colleagues.
Mexico City, October 16 (However).- A video circulating on social networks documented the assault from a doctor at General Hospital number 18 of the IMSS in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Rooagainst the relatives of a minor patient.
The institute authorities described the attack as a “accident“between the patient’s family and the doctor. Days later the doctor She was found, presumably, in an alcoholic state.
The doctor was identified as Cyndi Estefanía Arreola Mercado who works at General Hospital number 18 of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo.
The woman was captured when she physically attacked the relatives of the six-year-old minor who entered the emergency area of said clinic with a diagnosis of stones in the urinary tract, for which he was experiencing intense pain.
According to the story of María Candelaria Montejo, aunt of the minor identified as Jesús Matías, recorded by the newspaper The Dayit all started in the early morning of last Monday, October 13, when the little boy was transferred to the emergency area of the Hospital due to the severe pain he was experiencing as a result of the medication he was given to treat an allergy.
On this second occasion, Cindy Arreola decided to be even more forceful and hostile towards the child’s relatives by denying medical attention.
Given her attitude, those present began to record her with their cell phones.
Which provoked the fury of the doctor who attacked them, hitting them. pic.twitter.com/2srBKJ62V3
— La Marla Sabrina (@lamarlasabrina) October 14, 2025
The little boy’s aunt explained that the family was aware that the treatment given to her nephew to treat the allergy he suffered could cause reactions, in this case a crystallization of the medication, a side effect that occurred and caused a remainder of the crystallized medication to become trapped in the urinary tract, which caused severe pain to the minor, who had to be taken to the hospital.
The woman recalled that upon arriving at the Hospital, the staff told her that the waiting time to receive care would be approximately two hours, so after that period they again requested care for their family member, but in response the doctor Arreola Mercado told them to continue waiting, so they remained like that for another hour, while Jesús Matías continued to complain of intense pain.
As that hour passed, the relatives realized, due to the hustle and bustle they had, that in one of the offices there were three doctors, without any patient receiving care. On the contrary, the specialists were talking and even laughing, which unleashed the annoyance of the minor’s relatives, who decided to ask for attention again for the little boy and video record the scene.
However, upon realizing that she was being filmed by the child’s parents, the doctor became angry and threw the cell phone that the patient’s father was holding. In addition, she tried to hit the man’s sister, but thanks to another family member who intervened, Arreola Mercado did not achieve her goal and, screaming, went into her office, from where she requested the help of the municipal police.
Although the Public Security elements arrived at the clinic and tried to arrest the minor’s mother for allegedly hitting the specialist, the rest of the patients who witnessed the attack by the doctor intervened and recounted the events, preventing the uniformed officers from taking the woman.
In the images circulating on social networks you can see the moment in which Cyndi Estefanía Arreola Mercado attacks the person who is recording her, who also complains about the lack of attention towards her son.
After these events, the hospital manager on duty admitted the minor, who required care from a pediatric urologist, but the specialists took one more day to decide whether to transfer the patient to Mexico City, Yucatán or Cancún. The minor’s aunt highlighted that it was thanks to the intervention of a lawyer that her nephew was able to be transferred to Cancún, where he underwent surgery.
Raúl Montejo Suaste, the minor’s grandfather, told the press that on the day of the incident, they went to the clinic due to the severe pain that his grandson was experiencing, however, the doctor Arreola Mercado, on two occasions, denied them care, stating that they were treating other patients, but in reality she had been talking to other doctors for some time.
Montejo Suaste pointed out that for this reason they decided to record the attitude of the medical staff, with the aim of denouncing that their family member was not receiving the necessary care, which led to Cyndi Estefanía’s attack.
After the events, Víctor Hugo Sanabria Patrón, director of General Hospital No. 18, condemned the actions of the medical staff and assured that an investigation was opened into these events to determine responsibilities and punish those involved.
However, Internet users accused him of trying to protect the aggressor doctor, since in his position he points out that it was an “incident between medical personnel and relatives of a beneficiary” and not an attack by the doctor as seen in the video.
“At the IMSS Quintana Roo we deeply regret the events that occurred at the General Hospital of zone 18 Playa del Carmen, in the early hours of October 13, where an incident was recorded between medical personnel and relatives of a minor beneficiary,” said Sanabria Patrón through a video broadcast on social networks, in which he assured that “the necessary medical care was already provided to the minor who is currently stable.”
“At the IMSS we disapprove of any behavior that involves aggression, whether verbal or physical, and that violates the dignity of the entitled persons or institutional staff. Our commitment is to always maintain dignified, empathetic, humane treatment towards each person who trusts their health in our hands,” added the director of the General Hospital of Zone No. 18.
When the video went viral, the director of General Hospital No. 18 of the IMSS, Víctor Hugo Sanabria Patrón, recorded a message saying that “an investigation was initiated.”
However, he did not demand an apology, did not take responsibility and did not even order his suspension. pic.twitter.com/dGG8WcBmpq
— La Marla Sabrina (@lamarlasabrina) October 14, 2025
“The Institute has initiated the corresponding investigations to clarify the facts and guarantee the application of the corresponding administrative measures in order to determine responsibilities and, where appropriate, apply the corresponding sanctions in accordance with work regulations and the IMSS Code of Ethics. The IMSS Quintana Roo reaffirms its commitment to respect, dignified treatment and timely attention with all its services,” he concluded.
This October 15, the N+ portal announced that the doctor Cyndi Estefanía Arreola Mercado was found unconscious outside a building in the Las Brisas subdivision, presumably as a result of the alcoholic state in which she was. Given the incident, the residents of the area requested the help of the emergency services, who moved to that area.
However, after subjecting her to a medical examination to verify her state of health, elements specialized in Family and Gender Violence Care determined that the doctor showed signs of alcohol poisoning, but when trying to provide support, the woman rejected him and launched verbal insults against the paramedics, and then began to pray.
Although the emergency services withdrew, the Gender Police accompanied the doctor, with the purpose of guaranteeing her integrity. In addition to transferring her for a medical evaluation and ruling out the consumption of other types of substances, as well as verifying her health status.
According to paramedics, he was in an apparent unwell condition, praying and refusing medical attention.
She was helped by female police officers, who remained with her for her assessment and protection. pic.twitter.com/DDT0TiAWGb
— La Marla Sabrina (@lamarlasabrina) October 16, 2025