Preparing Mexico’s Healthcare Workforce for an AI-Driven Future

As AI transforms healthcare globally, Mexico faces a critical challenge: bridging the gap between traditional medical education and the skills required for the modern, technology-driven practice.

Healthcare education in Mexico exists within a complex ecosystem, where universities and clinical environments must balance patient care with the training of future professionals, explains Jorge Eugenio Valdez, Chief Strategy Relations Officer, TecSalud, on MBN. 

However, despite these efforts, structural challenges persist within the country’s medical workforce.  In 2023, the country had nearly 666,000 medical professionals, with about 17,500 new doctors and 12,500 specialists entering the field annually. Yet only about 2.5 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants are actively practicing, placing Mexico in the lower quartile among OECD countries. 

This limited availability of active practitioners directly contributes to a shortage of skilled healthcare professionals, which has tangible consequences. Patient care is affected through longer wait times and delayed treatments, while marginalized communities face heightened disparities in access to quality care, reports Adecco. Hospitals incur higher costs due to reliance on temporary staff and overtime, and overburdened systems struggle to implement new technologies and innovate in care delivery.

AI offers a pathway to address these gaps. From enhancing diagnostics and preventive care to enabling remote surgeries, AI holds transformative potential. To realize this potential, healthcare professionals need early exposure to AI during their training. Initiatives such as AI-driven virtual patients could allow students and professionals to practice diagnostic and consultation skills in realistic, human-like scenarios — bridging the divide between classroom learning and clinical practice, explains Sebastián Prida, CEO, Medu to MBN.  Another example is how Google is leveraging its advanced AI models to transform medical education by integrating them into learning environments to support health professionals.

To optimize healthcare education, Valdez recommends revising curricula to emphasize interprofessional collaboration, safety, and quality care. Educational programs should equip students with practical skills aligned with the evolving demands of the healthcare system, while training educators to mentor effectively in clinical settings. 

This topic will be explored in depth at the “Hands On, Not Left Behind: Preparing Healthcare Talent for AI-Powered Practice” panel during the Mexico Health Summit 2025. Experts and industry leaders will discuss strategies to align medical education with the evolving demands of AI-driven healthcare, share practical solutions, and highlight how collaboration between educational institutions, the public sector, and technology innovators can prepare Mexico’s next generation of healthcare professionals.