PAHO, Mexican Health Institutes to Simply Healthcare Digitization

The National Center for Child and Adolescent Health (CENSIA) and the Oaxaca Vaccination Program are launching a program to train health professionals in the use of electronic vaccination registries. The three-week program aims to increase the use of the Health Care Administration and Management Environment (AAMATES), which is used for the management of state vaccination services.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has closely worked with local health institutes to develop the AAMATES program since 2021. The organization has also supported the donation of mobile devices and the provision of on-site training in different regions across Mexico. It is expected that by the end of the program, health personnel across the country will be trained in the use of AAMATES.

To optimize and digitize the nominal registry of vaccine application, Mexico developed the Events Suspected to be Attributable Vaccination or Immunization (ESAVI) tool, which works through the AAMATES platform. These tools aim to simplify the registration of healthcare events and facilitate the exchange of information between different systems.

“It is necessary to stimulate the use of the electronic nominal vaccination registry and strengthen efforts to increase vaccination coverage so that children in Oaxaca are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases,” says PAHO’s press release.

Boosting the electronic nominal vaccination registry and stimulating vaccination efforts in the region is essential, especially with the downward trend in range immunization in the continent that started during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights Juan Manuel Sotelo, Representative PAHO Mexico.

Experts agree that it is necessary to digitize the public and private health sectors. However, they also highlight the importance of appropriate regulations. COFEPRIS is the main regulatory actor in Mexico’s health sector, but the organization has been affected by significant delays in recent years, says Mario Muñiz, General Manager North LatAm Region, IQVIA, to MBN.

“There are several studies from various associations in Mexico that show that COFEPRIS is lagging behind and has been a bottleneck in accessing innovation. Access to health institutions is another obstacle. And we have also experienced periods of shortages and operational problems that have not completely settled. It is also difficult for patients to access innovation in a country that annually changes how it executes its health budget. The impact of this is that there is limited product availability at the levels that are needed,” says Muñiz.