From Competition to Collaboration: How Mexico's Healthcare Tech Leader is Breaking Down Industry Silos - Interview with Bruno Valera, Managing Director, Medikit, Mexico

Meeting highlights

• Government Engagement: Opening communication channels with the new administration, working with healthcare-friendly officials like Kershenobich and Eduardo Clark, who are listening to industry proposals and driving healthcare transformation.
• Trust as a Foundation: Building trust as the foundation for interoperability success, providing secure platforms for data sharing rather than relying solely on technology solutions.
• Collaboration & Partnerships: Positioning collaboration, moving beyond the "my patient" mentality, focusing on shared value. Launching three pilot projects with the public sector, marking a significant shift toward public-private partnerships involving hospitals, pharmacies, and laboratories using interoperability.
• AI Acceleration: Leveraging AI to accelerate healthcare data progress, potentially doubling the speed of advancement in the next 2–3 years.
• Healthcare Investment Trends: Identifying trends in healthcare investment models and attracting investment into health.
• Partnership-Based Growth: Establishing over 100 collaborations for early client companies through Medikit's technology platform, demonstrating significant growth through partnership-based approaches.

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EF: How do you see the healthcare landscape evolving? 

BV: With the new Mexican administration focusing on creating spaces for collaboration with the private sector in favor of patients, I foresee growth for the industry. We are excited because they are listening to our proposals and to how this new movement is working to improve healthcare. 

EF: How do you integrate every stakeholder into your platform and ensure that everyone has the best experience? 

BV: The key to succeeding in this specific market, especially in the interoperability sector, is to remove the egos from all the players in the ecosystem. How data will be used is a critical factor, as information is sensitive and needs to be protected from cybersecurity threats. Providing trust comes first. We have a very secure platform for them to connect with all the other players. 

In Mexico, there is an opportunity to provide a robust healthcare technology infrastructure that aligns with local market needs. Focusing on having an easy-to-use service is why we have been growing year after year. We provide expertise, communication with the outside world, technology, and a comprehensive solution for them. 

EF:. How do you position yourself as a trusted partner in Mexico? 

BV: We do it by positioning one thought in the minds of all the big executives here in Mexico. Collaboration. In a world where education emphasizes competitiveness, it is essential to highlight the genuine value of collaboration. The patient we have right now may be with a competitor next year or with the company next door. 

While companies say they put patients at the center of what they do, it is usually limited to their organization. I believe a patient needs to be at the center of the healthcare ecosystem, beyond each organization, especially as organizations get more specialized. One may be the best at identifying cancer, but not the best at identifying metabolic disorders. That is why collaboration needs to be part of the game. If you want to be the best overall, you need to collaborate with the best in their respective sectors. 

That is something that has worked very well in Mexico. For example, if you are the best pharmacy, you are not going to be the best laboratory or the best clinic. This approach has been highly effective lately because companies understand how the market is structured. 

EF: How has the importance of collaboration evolved since the last time we talked? 

BV: Well, not as fast as we would like. One reason for the slowdown over the last couple of years is a lack of investment in healthcare technology in Mexico. When the pandemic hit, venture capitalists were heavily investing in health tech and biotech. But about a year later, that trend shifted. Funding went to education and other sectors, and many companies driving change in healthcare disappeared. 

The companies that remain are those with the most experience and know-how to implement changes. But the lack of investment has definitely slowed progress. 

EF: How do you see the use of data and Mexico’s adaptability in this area? 

BV: While other countries have been advancing in creating standards and structuring data across silos, now we see AI coming, which doesn’t really need structured data. My company actually invested heavily in creating structured data and building connections with all the players to analyze it. Currently, with these new AI tools, much of that investment does not make sense. 

We still need protected data to analyze, make predictions, and achieve our goals, but AI allows us to accelerate progress. We could move at least twice as fast in the next two or three years with these tools. 

In Mexico, we lack the education and profiles needed to use AI effectively. Hiring AI experts is very expensive. 

AI will significantly aid in the onboarding of new users. When someone starts using new software, they usually need guidance on how to use it. Right now, with these AI tools, users just grab what they need, and that is it. This will be particularly important for the healthcare sector, as one of the main reasons physicians or healthcare professionals do not use software is that they have not been shown how to use it effectively. And when you remove that barrier, we will see an increase in the use of technology by doctors, not in the traditional way, but through prompts and very specific, single services tailored for them. 

EF: Bruno, what role do you see in developing public-private partnerships? Do you think it is important to foster them, especially given that the IMSS is the main provider of healthcare services? 

BV: If you had asked me three years ago, I would have said it was impossible. However, I am pleased to share that this year, we initiated three pilot projects, small-scale tests with the public sector, aimed at collaborative work. 

These pilots involve public hospitals, private pharmacies, and private laboratories using interoperability. This is something that has undergone significant changes over the last two years. The public sector is now open to seeing how the market is advancing and how it can benefit from what the private sector is doing. I am not sure if these small projects will expand nationwide, but it is interesting to see that they are now open to solving problems that they know exist and need the help of the private sector.  

EF: How do you see digital tools helping to increase awareness of preventive approaches, especially for diabetes in Mexico? 

BV: Digital tools can help by generating, consolidating, and sharing data. Today, information is available, but it is fragmented across pharmacies, Laboratories, the public sector, and other entities. It is always “my data,” and if you want to work with it, you have to do it together with them. 

That model is not scalable. To reach all diabetics in Mexico, you would need to do 100 different collaborations. But when you start sharing data and processes, it becomes one initiative to identify all the diabetics, or any other condition you want to address. 

Currently, we have over 60 electronic health records sharing data in real-time. That creates a very big opportunity for the public sector to quickly identify health patterns. My message to every company in Mexico would be: start changing your perspective on processes and how you exchange data. There are many safe ways to do this. 

EF: What is something you would like to celebrate? 

BV: Before, we only served consultations and individual healthcare professionals, not hospitals. That was another level of service we had not touched. 

Just two weeks ago, we began serving 10 hospitals from the Mexican Hospital Consortium with our technology. This milestone is more than just a number; it represents a growing commitment to digital transformation in healthcare, and the trust of hospitals that are willing to innovate and collaborate. For us, it is truly something to celebrate, as hospitals are not only essential partners but also key drivers in shaping a better healthcare experience. 

Our goal for the next two to three years is to address the shortage of medications in the public sector. We believe that, through collaboration, especially with IMSS, Medikit can help ensure that no Mexican lives without access to medicine. That will be the biggest achievement we could celebrate.