Jesús Kumate Rodríguez (13 November 1924 – 7 May 2018) was a Mexican physician and politician. He served as the Secretary of Health during the presidency of Carlos Salinas de Gortari.
Jesús Kumate Rodríguez
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| Secretary of Health | |
| In office 1 December 1988 – 30 November 1994 | |
| President | Carlos Salinas de Gortari |
| Preceded by | Guillermo Soberón Acevedo |
| Succeeded by | Juan Ramón de la Fuente |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1924-11-12)12 November 1924 Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico |
| Died | 7 May 2018(2018-05-07) (aged 93)[1] Mexico City, Mexico |
| Spouse | Bertha Guerra Rovelo |
| Alma mater | Escuela Médico Militar Instituto Politécnico Nacional |
| Profession | Physician |
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Kumate Rodríguez was born in Mazatlán in 1924 to a Japanese emigrant father and a Sinaloense mother who worked as a rural teacher.[2] He graduated as a surgeon in 1946 from the Escuela Médico Militar and became a Doctor of Science at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional in 1963.[3]
During his tenure as Secretary of Health, Kumate Rodríguez oversaw the implementation of universal vaccination,[4] the eradication of poliomyelitis,[4] the combat against a cholera outbreak,[4] the updating of epidemiological surveillance and the drastic decrease of infant mortality.[4]