Health care technology management challenges in Mexico: increase clinical engineering services and develop telemedicine nationwide

Summary form only given. Mexico has 100 million inhabitants. The goal of the Health Ministry 2000-2006 is to provide health services with equity, quality and financial support for the users. We have 868 general and specialized hospitals, but we just have 60 clinical engineering departments in the country, mainly in the private sector. The main problems faced regarding medical equipment are the 90% dependency of imported devices, lack of appropriate technology, the poor technology management in the social security institutions; the lack of infrastructure resources; a lack of a donation national program. The primary programs to establish for the next years include: telemedicine program for the e-health sector; a policy to optimize the use of technology in the country; to have clinical engineering departments in the public institutions which will offer technology assessment procedures to better decide what is required, to establish technology management policies in order to help get the best out of the equipment available; to participate in elaborating the lists, biddings and training. We are also participating in the regulation, survey and recalls of the medical equipment. The challenge is enormous but we have now 25 years of experience of biomedical engineering, which will hopefully enhance these projects.