Investing in Sustainability Returns Benefits

Q: What is the role that Vitalmex plays in the improvement of a patient’s experience?

A: Patients need to be at the center of attention in these increasingly interconnected systems. Vitalmex simplifies the work of health professionals who work with hospitals, freeing up their time so that they can put their absolute attention on the patient. By freeing themselves from all processes concerning operating rooms, health professionals can have a more harmonious relationship with all the elements that they must coexist with.

Q: What main obstacles does the Mexican healthcare system need to surpass to be able to adopt the most recent technologies?

A: The first challenge is the introduction of government policies and regulations that allow the adoption of these technologies. Mexico still needs to develop legislation on digital health that provides greater certainty to investors in the sector.  Introducing these technologies will not lead to immediate results but they will make a difference in the middle to long term, allowing budgets to focus on generating value. In addition, there is a structural connectivity problem that has to be solved. Training is also critical in the effort to increase technology adoption as different generations are coexisting in the same spaces, all of them with different views of technology. Academia plays a key role in giving medical residents access to the latest technology from the start of their medical practice. To be able to implement these technologies, it is essential to enhance the link between industries, hospitals and academia.

Q: How could private-public alliances support the elimination of these barriers?

A: First, all health actors must pursue the same objectives and align their priorities. In addition, all actors must adhere to certain values. This is the easiest way for alliances to prosper because success cannot be achieved with a vision of only generating economic and not social value. For this reason, forums like the Mexico Health Summit are so relevant: they allow the industry to align its priorities so we all understand where we want to go and can work together to get there.

Q: How is Vitalmex integrating environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) practices?

A: Vitalmex always tries to be at the forefront of the industry. We can analyze where the market is headed and a strong trend is the prioritization of social responsibility. Sustainability is one of our pillars and we are fully aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 2023 will be the first year we will report our progress on these standards. We expect good results because each of the commercial projects we put on the board's table had social and human components.

Q: How did the COVID-19 pandemic hamper the progress of your sustainability projects?

A: The pandemic significantly impacted our operations. Our core is specialized equipment and operating rooms, for which services were paused to provide space for COVID-19 patients. We were also financially affected but Vitalmex’s financial discipline allowed us to make adjustments to avoid putting the company's sustainability at risk. We also knew that we would have to be prepared to address the surgical backlog caused by the pandemic and keep our staff trained for it. We took advantage of this time to contain expenses, plan new sustainability projects and give continuity to those in the works. When investing in these projects there is always a return on investment and Vitalmex is highly committed to them, is a priority for us.

Q: What will be Vitalmex’s priorities for 2023?

A: During the pandemic, we protected our areas related to medical logistics and technical support businesses. The latter allows stakeholders to use equipment and surgical instruments for longer periods, which is highly aligned with our sustainability goals. The supply chain is facing enormous challenges and we must prioritize preventive and corrective maintenance to prolong the life of the medical equipment in the operating room. Support and maintenance must also be provided for all installed equipment or we risk new problems. For example, during the pandemic, Mexican hospitals had some ventilators that had not been given preventive maintenance and were thus useless. In a country like Mexico, with so many healthcare needs, these types of solutions are needed to benefit all players within the industry.

Vitalmex is a leading provider of surgical support services to some of Mexico’s largest public and private hospitals. The company’s activities range from surgical technician services and inventory management to medical technology and equipment management. Vitalmex purpose is to offer personalized solutions for health services.