Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Strategic role of the Chamber: The Chamber positions itself as a key actor in public–private coordination, representing a significant share of employment, GDP, and investment, and facilitating dialogue and integration between Mexico and the United States.
- Transition of the health system: Mexico is facing a demographic and epidemiological transition that requires adapting public policies. There is a window of opportunity to coordinate efforts and improve the quality of life of a population that is progressively aging and experiencing chronic non-communicable diseases.
- Toward a more integrated and preventive system: The sector is moving toward a more integrated system with a greater focus on prevention and self-care, which presents significant challenges but also opportunities. It is crucial to promote sustainable health financing, where strategies and public policies can be supported by innovation, technology, new inputs, and coverage schemes.
- Clinical research as a national priority: Clinical research is emerging as a strategic pillar in the Mexico Plan, with greater government openness and investment potential, which requires a high level of coordination among multiple stakeholders and institutions.
- Regulatory window and regional integration: The review of the trade agreement and regulatory alignment with North America represents an opportunity to close outstanding gaps in regulatory processes, accelerate access to innovation, and strengthen legal certainty.
- Mexico as a platform for health investment: With an institutional base that provides broad service coverage, a legal framework in continuous development, and as part of North American trade integration, Mexico offers attractive conditions for investment, with the potential to drive innovation and expand access to advanced therapies.
EF: What was the mission you set for yourself when you took on this new position?
GM: AmCham Mexico is a solid and well-positioned group: it represents more than 1,350 companies, 10 million formal jobs, 23% of the national GDP, and 20% of the foreign direct investment in the country. It is a binational Chamber with extensive experience and relevant dialogue spaces with key government stakeholders; it is a fundamental industrial vehicle to facilitate trade integration between Mexico and the United States and thus strengthen a favorable business environment for all sectors, including health.
In particular, the Health Committee brings together companies from the health supplies sector, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer products, food, hygiene, insurers, legal specialists, and consulting firms in the health field, among others. It is a group of specialists that adds value to the functioning of the health system. We are aligned with the government’s priorities. My guild trajectory and these factors motivated my decision to take on this new role as president of the Committee. I am convinced that guilds are key spaces to join efforts and strategically support the country’s major objectives, which is why one of the Committee’s most important objectives is to carry out proactive and positive engagement with different stakeholders, in order to contribute to the construction and implementation of the national health agenda.
EF: Considering your long career in the union sector and looking back to look forward, what do you consider to be the two greatest achievements in biological sciences in Mexico over the last decade?
GM: Considering that Mexico is undergoing a demographic and epidemiological transition similar to the one already faced by more developed economies, decision-makers have been adjusting public policies to adapt to the new needs of the population. We are increasingly seeing an aging population with chronic non-communicable conditions that, if well managed, can significantly improve the quality of life and health outcomes in the country. In this regard, among the scientific advances of the last decade that offer solutions for this objective, the preventive immunization approach stands out in the face of the most challenging health emergency of recent times: the COVID-19 pandemic. Likewise, the development of advanced therapies through biotechnology, gene therapies, and precision medicine also stands out. Although there is still a way to go, health sector institutions in Mexico have begun to incorporate strategies to respond to these challenges; today, there is a window of opportunity to coordinate efforts and move forward.
EF: Four years away from 2030, what two objectives should the sector have to bring us closer to what we want?
GM: There is a clear governmental commitment for the National Health System in Mexico to be more integrated and, at the same time, to offer higher-quality services in care, prevention, and assistance. A pending structural aspect is undoubtedly the sustainability and financing of the health sector, particularly from the public budget; if we want a healthier country, it will be necessary to strengthen this area.
From the Chamber and the structure of the Committee, considering the plurality of voices and recognized experience of its members, we can contribute in a concrete way to the priorities of the health agenda. We see opportunities through the strengthening of capacities, of innovative solutions through inputs and medical technology, focused on improving patient care. We have tools and inputs to advance in prevention, self-care, and the promotion of health.
The members of the Committee also contribute opportunities in coverage from insurance, offering attractive and versatile schemes, so that the population has more options to achieve the best possible coverage.
EF: Regarding the Chamber, could you talk about some of the projects you are currently working on?
GM: One of the strategic objectives that we share with the government is the promotion of clinical research. Within the Mexico Plan, there are several priority sectors, and one of them is health supplies, in particular pharmaceuticals and medical devices, with clear goals to expand investment in clinical studies. Today, there is genuine openness, and this sector occupies a prominent place on the health agenda and on the economic cabinet’s agenda. For this to work, coordination between the different authorities, processes, and institutions is essential, so that together with the private sector, we can collaborate effectively. Multiple actors are involved in clinical research: COFEPRIS, the National Bioethics Commission, health institutes, the private sector, and the customs authority responsible for the importation of supplies for research. Articulating this ecosystem and aligning health and economic agendas is a major but feasible challenge.
It is a key moment. We have held relevant conversations with various authorities, among them the IMSS, an institution with which we have signed, from AmCham, an unprecedented long-term collaboration agreement; we are convinced that today the conditions exist to take advantage of the conviction, infrastructure, and potential of the public and private sectors, and thus consolidate clinical research in the country. It is an issue that we have been promoting for years, and this is the best context to move forward, due to the sensitivity and openness of government actors. There are great expectations, but also challenges. We must balance expectations and visions, structure processes, working groups, and spaces for dialogue that allow us to compete as a country and have a regional impact. We face competition from other countries in Latin America and the world; however, Mexico occupies a privileged position due to its structure and its proximity to a highly innovative region, which opens up significant opportunities.
This collaboration agreement with the IMSS opens up opportunities for us to dialogue and, as a Chamber, to accompany the optimization of care, prevention, and diagnosis processes for high- and low-prevalence conditions, as well as evidence-based decision-making.
In parallel, this year is decisive because of the review of the trade agreement. It is not common to have these windows; the last one was in 2020, with the transition from NAFTA to USMCA. Now another substantive review is opening that we cannot fail to seize. Some chapters directly impact the health and innovation sector. There are provisions to strengthen agile regulation in coordination with the health authorities of the region, in particular with the United States, and, as a binational chamber, we work so that the alignment of criteria and regulatory evaluation processes accelerates the availability of innovation in the country.
It is also key that the public procurement environment provides certainty for all participants. Intellectual property plays a central role here: the corresponding chapters of the agreement offer the possibility of effectively applying high standards with an adequate balance in national legislation. They are critical enablers to provide legal certainty and a predictable and attractive business environment.
The Health Committee works in a coordinated manner in its positions, together with the rest of the Chamber’s Committees. We face a particularly interesting period, with the review of the agreement and the definition of profiles in key managerial areas for health and economic decision-making. North America is today one of the most solid platforms in the world for attracting innovation in health , and the private sector must contribute its expertise to achieve concrete results.
EF: Why is a dollar invested in Mexico better than one invested anywhere else?
GM: Mexico brings together several favorable elements. It has a very diverse population and is the second largest in Latin America, after Brazil. In health, the country has great potential thanks to solid institutions, with broad coverage and decades of experience. Another key factor is the closeness to one of the most innovative markets in the world: the United States. The alignment of schedules and the geographical proximity facilitate operational collaboration. In addition, the USMCA drives regional integration, provides greater certainty to investment in Mexico, and reinforces confidence in its social and economic impact, offering a platform for companies to develop in high-potential markets, such as the Mexican one.
While there are always challenges, the outlook in the health sector is positive, and the opportunities are there to be seized. With the openness of the authorities, it is possible to face them in a better way. Mexico has conditions to continue fostering the ecosystem of health innovation; for this, it is necessary to continue optimizing processes in the regulation, evaluation, and availability of innovative supplies, such as advanced and gene therapies. It is necessary to work with the authorities so that innovation trends are reflected in more up-to-date and agile regulation, and in effective access to health institutions. To achieve this, different stages must be covered: first, regulatory authorization; then, their incorporation into the National Compendium of Health Supplies; and, finally, the availability of the supplies in the institutions. Taken together, the scenario can be favorable through dialogue, competitive proposals, and those centered on value for patients.
EF: Would you like to share, on behalf of the Chamber, any final message?
GM: Private sector companies are an essential voice in the construction of a strengthened health system. They contribute experience in research, generation of inputs, and implementation of processes, so that the sector as a whole has the necessary tools to fulfill its responsibilities in the best possible way.
Health must remain a priority on the country’s agenda. The pandemic and the available evidence show that robust and efficient health systems not only prepare us better for scenarios of high uncertainty, but also drive economic development. A well-cared-for population, with tools for adequate prevention and prosperous health, improves the family, work, and educational environment, and contributes to the development of the country. That is where our focus must be from the AmCham Health Committee.
I highlight the willingness and openness of the authorities, fundamental for facing, through dialogue, the challenges of the sector. The Chamber, its Committees, and staff are highly committed; they bring great professionalism in their work, with great talent, experience, young people, and a lot of energy. This year, in particular, we worked from the Chamber to have a preponderant voice, and we are ready to continue contributing value to the bilateral relationship and to the business environment in Mexico.
