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Conversation highlights:
- Preventive care has structurally expanded over the past decade, driven by private sector competition that lowered diagnostic costs and changed patient behavior in a historically treatment-focused system.
- AI is emerging as a workflow and productivity layer, not a clinical replacement, improving speed, consistency, and operational efficiency across diagnostics and imaging.
- Public–private asymmetry persists: the public sector absorbs 70% of healthcare demand with limited capacity, while private players are gaining relevance mainly in prevention and diagnostics.
- Price and time are the key levers for transformation; quality will follow as volume, datasets, and adoption increase.
- The next five years require coordinated action across industry, government, and clinicians to regulate, integrate, and deploy technology fast enough to close access and cost gaps.
EF: What are two major achievements Mexico has made in the past 10 years, and one key objective we should pursue over the next five years?
EG: One of the most significant developments has been the expansion of preventive healthcare checkups, particularly within the private sector. Increased competition among laboratories has driven broader access and more affordable pricing across a wide range of diagnostic services. This shift marks a meaningful change in patient behavior and market dynamics, as preventive care was not very embedded in Mexican health culture.
JG: Technology is the second factor. In recent years, advancement in this area has been more limited than in the past, when new modalities like CT, MRI, and PET scans emerged every 5 to 7 years. Today, artificial intelligence is evolving as a workflow management tool. Although still at an early stage, its integration is expected to be structural and long-term, improving efficiency and enabling healthcare systems to deliver better, faster, and more affordable care without displacing clinical roles.
Its impact is already visible in practice. AI is shifting from clinical decision support to operational infrastructure, reducing variability and increasing throughput across diagnostic workflows. Over the next five years, this shift will enable more consistent diagnosis and scalable care delivery.
EG: Combining these two factors is essential as more diagnoses and screenings become available and prices become more competitive. AI is rapidly increasing the availability of doctors in Mexico's expanding healthcare sector, and helping both government and private institutions reduce healthcare costs. While the market was previously focused on medication and treatment, it is now shifting toward preventive medicine, which will save significant amounts of money. The future looks promising if we fully leverage new equipment and technology to promote a more proactive population.
JG: In the future, this technology may force some stakeholders to take losses, which could slow progress. When technology becomes regulated or certified, advancement can also decrease. There’s a significant gap now, and we need to reduce both costs and impact. It is very important to collaborate across the industry with doctors, users, clients, and political parties to put laws and agreements in place quickly so progress can continue.
EF: How do you balance your resources for the public and private markets?
JG: In Mexico, approximately 70 percent of healthcare spending ends up in the public sector, with the remainder covered by private players. The figure is difficult to state precisely because we also provide services to private individuals, which usually still involve the government.
Mexico is a large country, but the biggest hospitals have around 50 to 150 beds, which is considered a small to medium-sized hospital in most of the world. This highlights a significant gap in private healthcare and a clear opportunity for improvement. There is a shortage of insurance companies willing to cover basic checkups. As a result, they focus on treating illness rather than keeping people healthy.
EG: In Mexico, traditional health insurance has focused more on treatment than on prevention or diagnosis, making the current shift toward a preventive model especially significant.
On the treatment side, governments still dominate, as the private sector lacks sufficient hospital capacity, and private care remains expensive, with no universal coverage. Most people rely on the public system. In prevention and diagnostics, by contrast, the private sector is gaining prominence.
This evolving mix is delivering results, but a bigger cultural change is still needed to fully embed a preventive approach to healthcare.
EF: What level of awareness is required in both public and private sectors to integrate new digital and diagnostic tools, optimize existing resources, and improve operational efficiency?
EG: Both are improving. The private segment is leveraging data to improve diagnostics and more efficiently use equipment, which is crucial given the strong demand for radiologists and the time required for testing. One of the largest, most efficient AI installations was in Mexico, powered by our software and a large lab. OECD data shows a significant need for diagnostic equipment; while installations are increasing, maximizing each machine's output is equally vital.
In the public sector, there is progress, but still much to advance. Patients often repeat tests as images aren't easily shared, leading to added radiation and limited machine access. Improvements are expected soon, reducing repetition and increasing machine availability.
JG: This technology is more necessary in public institutions than in private ones. In private settings, each radiologist conducts relatively few studies, whereas in public settings, the workload per radiologist is much higher. We must equip all physicians with this technology so they can work more efficiently.
EF: If you had to choose two variables to drive digital or AI transformation in Life Sciences in Mexico, which two would you select from the iron triangle of price, time, and quality?
JG: I would say price and time. We should avoid trying to achieve the highest possible quality with every AI technology we create. Today, every company is investing heavily in it, which is why I also chose time as a key factor. Certification requires a lengthy process involving extensive research and training, which consumes many resources.
Quality is improving rapidly, so it is not the main issue. However, the initial price when launching is charged as if it were already a radiologist and covers only a specific step of the procedure. If we want to integrate different technologies, we usually pay less to a doctor than what AI companies are charging. It is crucial to adopt a volume-based approach. These are the two barriers we have today.
EG: There are many advantages to AI and a lot to gain from greater technological adaptation. This is more related to time and price. Quality will follow. The more volume we have and the larger the training dataset, the more technology improves. The adoption rate is the most important factor in enhancing quality. Therefore, I would focus more on pricing and speed.
EF: When you raise your glass to celebrate 20 years in Fujifilm in the coming 2 years, what would you like to have achieved by then?
JG: You should always hold a clear photo of the future in mind. Fujifilm evolved from photos, representing that vision. Each year, I place a new image on my screen to reflect my goals for helping Mexico’s medical industry, which faces significant shortages of equipment, technology, and resources. The government cannot do it alone. The industry must collaborate to reach the untapped potential of Mexico’s healthcare system. This collective effort will create opportunities for all. The first step is to envision this photo as part of our shared healthcare future.
EF: Enrique, how do you see the photo of the future?
EG: I have been at Fujifilm de México for 25 years, and it has been an incredible journey filled with challenges and growth. Technology is very dynamic. Most of the products we used to sell are no longer available, and over the time we have worked here, change has been constant, and it is only speeding up.
It is inspiring to see this future picture: how all this technology is shifting the landscape and helping everyone become a bit more productive. Every year, new tools arrive, better processes emerge, and the way we use technology can be surprising. We tend to think of technology in the usual ways, especially medical AI focusing on diagnosis and machine learning. But there is still a lot to improve in the human side of the process.
A lot of time goes into organizing patients, data, and reports. That is where AI can really contribute, handling time-consuming tasks that humans need to do but do not add the most value.
We look forward to the future when these technologies shift healthcare, offering new ways to diagnose and improve patients’ health even before they get sick.
EF: Do you have any final message or anything else you would like to add?
JG: The future is coming fast. This is one of the most impactful areas of healthcare technology, not just in imaging centers or radiology, but also in pharmaceuticals. There will be a new AI boom, and in less than five years, the way we view healthcare will be completely different.
Our company always finds value in innovation. We are training and preparing for the market. The future is promising.
