Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Technology and access leap forward: Mexico has rapidly upgraded healthcare technology and expanded access nationwide, reducing the need for patients to travel to major cities for advanced care.
- AI adoption with safety at the core: One of the next priorities is scaling AI in healthcare, while ensuring strict quality standards, regulatory approval, and patient safety.
- Data and regulation as the next frontier: Mexico faces major challenges in data integration and AI oversight, requiring a careful balance between regulation, speed, and system interoperability.
- Strong momentum in both public and private sectors: Private hospitals match global standards in technology adoption, while public institutions are making unprecedented investments in diagnostics and advanced equipment.
- Mexico as a growth and manufacturing powerhouse: With strong government commitment, expanding healthcare infrastructure, and a leading role in global manufacturing and innovation, Mexico remains a highly attractive long-term market.
EF: What two key achievements has Mexico’s life sciences sector accomplished over the past decade?
GM: Mexico has achieved two major advances in its healthcare system. The first is a significant improvement in the level of technology used in hospitals and clinics. Five years ago, most investments were concentrated on basic or high-volume equipment. Today, both public and private institutions are investing in medical devices that meet the standards of developed countries. This shift is important because it allows patients to access more advanced treatments and diagnostic tools.
The second achievement is the broader availability of healthcare services nationwide. Around 10 years ago, patients often had to travel to large cities such as Mexico City, Monterrey, or Guadalajara to receive specialized care or advanced diagnostics, such as MRI or PET scans. Today, in at least 14 major cities with populations of more than 1 million, patients can find a full range of treatments and diagnostic technologies in both public and private facilities. Investment is also increasing in medium-sized and smaller cities, giving people access to services that were previously unavailable. Nowadays, a larger number of patients no longer need to travel long distances, as access to healthcare has become much more widespread across Mexico.
EF: What objective should the life sciences sector in Mexico prioritize over the next five years to help shape its future?
GM: The priority should be to expand the use of AI technologies in healthcare. At GE HealthCare, many devices already have AI features built into them, so users often do not even realize they are interacting with AI. Newer technologies, however, require clinicians to actively engage with AI systems, and this is likely the next major step for the industry.
Healthcare is different from other sectors because AI cannot be applied through trial and error. Patient safety must always come first. For this reason, every AI-based technology has to be proven reliable before it is used in clinical practice. At GE HealthCare, this means ensuring that all AI solutions meet strict quality standards, receive the required regulatory approvals, and are safe for patient use.
EF: How would you assess Mexico’s readiness for health data and AI, and what should be the first step in building a national data architecture?
GM: Over the next five years, a key issue will be finding the right balance between regulation and speed. There needs to be sufficient oversight to protect patient safety while also enabling new technologies to reach hospitals and clinics without unnecessary delays. This is a global challenge, not just a Mexican one. COFEPRIS is aware of this situation and has already taken important steps to consider how AI software and related technologies should be regulated.
When it comes to data, Mexico faces an even greater challenge than some other countries. Public healthcare systems are still working through how to properly organize and manage the large volumes of information they already have. Some private hospitals use hospital information systems that store patient data, but these systems are often isolated and not interconnected. At the national level, data remains fragmented and decentralized. Each institution manages its own database, making it difficult to fully leverage the information. Addressing this lack of integration offers Mexico a promising path for advancement in the coming years. Improving data management will take time, and there is no simple or quick solution.
EF: How would you assess technology adoption in public and private hospitals, and what key opportunities do you see?
GM: In the private sector, there is strong adoption of new technologies and a clear intention to offer the most advanced solutions available. There is no noticeable gap in adoption, whether it involves AI-driven software or advanced medical devices. Many of the systems being implemented in Mexico are high-end technologies that are also used in leading medical centers around the world.
The public sector is also showing a very interesting trend. Over the past years, public healthcare institutions have made historically high investments in advanced technologies, particularly in diagnostics and other therapeutic areas. We are seeing a clear shift toward the adoption of innovative, high-end solutions at a scale that was not seen before.
EF: Where do you see GE HealthCare Mexico’s performance in the near term?
GM: We are a key player in the market, bringing advanced, highly innovative technologies across diagnostics, treatment, and patient care. In Mexico, our operations are supported by a central office that oversees commercial activities, products, and services. This structure allows us to serve customers efficiently and ensure that our medical devices and services are widely available to patients.
A particularly important part of our presence in Mexico is manufacturing. We operate three manufacturing facilities in the country, which play a critical role in our global supply chain. As a result, trade agreements are especially important to us, as we are one of Mexico's largest medical device manufacturers. Today, more than 4,000 people work for our company in Mexico, making it one of our largest operations outside our home markets.
EF: What are the primary drivers of growth in GE HealthCare Mexico operations?
GM: We are focusing most of our resources on supporting our customers. This includes strong customer service and technical support to ensure equipment is always operational and available to patients. Mexico’s geography is highly diverse, making it especially important to ensure the right level of coverage and support across the country. We also rely heavily on digital solutions that allow us to service equipment remotely. In the past, a technician usually had to be physically present to resolve an issue. Today, around 40 percent of our repairs can be handled remotely. This is important because it improves equipment availability, supports better patient outcomes, and helps hospitals operate more efficiently. In a hospital setting, equipment such as CT scanners, MRI machines, and catheterization labs must always be available. Remote servicing allows maintenance, software updates, and other tasks to run in the background without disrupting daily operations, helping hospitals remain productive.
EF: What skills and talents will GE HealthCare Mexico need for its future?
GM: When it comes to people and talent, we look for individuals who can adapt quickly to change and who have an entrepreneurial mindset. If you consider how different the world is today compared to five years ago, the pace of change has been remarkable. We have experienced the pandemic, rapid AI growth, major supply chain disruptions, and challenges in adopting new technologies. Many of these challenges did not exist before, and as a company and a team, we had to adapt quickly to move forward together.
This ability to adapt has helped us improve patient safety, better support our customers, and enable physicians to make faster, more informed decisions for their patients. We value people who are comfortable with change and can respond to it quickly, recognizing that change is our only constant. We also seek the right balance of internal and external talent—with 41% of our roles filled through internal development—to ensure we continue growing from within while welcoming new perspectives.
EF: Why is investing one dollar in Mexico better than investing it elsewhere?
GM: When we decide where to invest as a company, we do not view any market as better or worse than another. All of our markets are important. That said, Mexico clearly stands out as a country with steady growth and strong long-term potential. There is a clear commitment from the Mexican government to improving access to healthcare, not only by expanding coverage but also by raising the quality of care. When this is combined with market growth and significant unmet needs, Mexico becomes a very attractive market for us.
Leaders within the Ministry of Health and other public institutions are focused on improving access through investments in diagnostics, therapies, and infrastructure. There are ambitious plans to expand healthcare access for the entire population.
In the private sector, many outpatient clinics have ambitious expansion plans, and hospitals, whether independent or part of larger groups, are growing aggressively. This includes adopting new technologies, opening clinics in new regions, and expanding capacity.
As a company, we focus on having the flexibility and resources needed to grow alongside initiatives in both the public and private sectors.
EF: Is there anything else you would like to add, or would you like to send a final message?
GM: It is important to highlight that Mexico is a very strong manufacturing hub and is likely to remain so over the next ten to twenty years. Upcoming trade agreement negotiations will be an important moment, and if they progress well, Mexico could become even more competitive. Regardless, the country already plays a major role in global manufacturing.
To give an example beyond GE HealthCare, before GE became separate companies, one of its largest product development centers was located in Mexico, employing around 1,500 engineers focused on product development. Today, this facility continues to operate in areas such as aerospace and aviation, as well as in other businesses that were once part of GE. This shows that Mexico has the capacity to host large-scale innovation and development hubs, reinforcing its attractiveness not only for manufacturing but also for hardware development and innovation.
