Government turning to AI to solve the acknowledged problem of medication shortages

Mexico’s new Advisory Council for the Digital Transformation of the Health Sector is an expert group created by President Claudia Sheinbaum. It responds to medication shortages highlighted by IMSS workers. Its goal is to improve how medicines are controlled, stored, distributed, and traced throughout the public-health system.

The council has two parts. An Advisory Board will include four researchers specializing in logistics, engineering, information systems, and resource distribution. A separate Youth AI Team will include five people specializing in Artificial Intelligence. Together, they will develop digital tools for managing medicines.

The planned system would follow medicines from procurement through warehouses, hospital pharmacies, departments, and patients. It would detect shortages, show inventory levels, and help organize deliveries. Members are expected to present initial projects in November. The government plans to begin implementation in January 2027.

The council plans to use digital tools and AI to make medicine movement visible in real time. The system would track supplies from procurement and storage to hospital pharmacies, departments, and patients. This matters because shortages can result from distribution failures, not only from failing to buy medicines.

For example, if one pharmacy has no supply, staff could check whether another health facility or warehouse has the medicine. Inventory data would show where it is available. Staff could then arrange delivery instead of waiting for a new purchase. The system is also intended to identify medication needs and improve distribution routes.

Deputy Health Minister Eduardo Clark said the program should improve inventory management and reduce delivery time and costs. Sheinbaum wants the entire process automated, with exact traceability for each medicine. Initial projects are expected in November, with implementation planned for January 2027.

The distribution challenge is enormous. Mexico’s health sector uses approximately 3 billion units of medicines and medical supplies each year. Those products must move through a national network containing more than 1,000 hospitals and nearly 15,000 health centers and primary care units.

This scale creates many points where supplies must be recorded, stored, transported, and delivered. A medicine can be purchased but still fail to reach the facility that needs it on time. The proposed digital system would help officials see inventory, identify needs, and determine where available stock is located.

Better information could also improve delivery routes and reduce time and costs, according to Eduardo Clark. It could help staff find supplies at another facility or warehouse when local stock is missing. The challenge remains substantial because the system must coordinate billions of units across thousands of locations, beginning with planned implementation in January 2027.

Buying a medicine does not guarantee that it will be available to patients. President Claudia Sheinbaum said some shortages happen after procurement. Medicines may be purchased but fail to reach medical facilities on time because of problems with storage, distribution, or delivery.

For example, supplies might be held in a warehouse while a hospital pharmacy lacks them. Without reliable inventory information, staff may not know that the medicine exists elsewhere. They may also struggle to identify another facility or warehouse that can provide it quickly. The proposed system is intended to make those locations visible.

Digital tools would track medicines through each stage, from procurement and warehousing to hospital pharmacies, departments, and patients. AI would help identify needs in real time and improve routes. The administration has also identified cases where public-sector medicines allegedly end up sold privately, adding another distribution concern.

If staff can quickly find medicine elsewhere, hospitals may avoid waiting for a fresh procurement. A facility with no local supply could request stock from another health facility or warehouse. That could help patients receive treatment sooner and prevent available medicines from sitting unused in another location.

The key mechanism is shared, up-to-date inventory information. Digital records would show whether a medicine is available at another pharmacy, facility, or warehouse. Healthcare staff could then arrange delivery. The system would also help identify needs in real time and optimize delivery routes, according to Eduardo Clark.

The likely benefit is faster and less costly distribution, but the article describes these as planned capabilities, not completed results. The government expects council members to present initial projects in November. Implementation of the new system is planned for January 2027, across more than 1,000 hospitals and nearly 15,000 health centers.

The main alternative described is finding the same medicine elsewhere in the public system. If one pharmacy or health facility has no stock, staff could check another pharmacy, health facility, or warehouse. They could then arrange delivery from that location, rather than immediately assuming the medicine must be bought again.

Better inventory data makes this possible by showing where supplies are stored and how much is available. The proposed digital system would track medicines from procurement and warehousing through hospital pharmacies, departments, and patients. AI would help identify needs and support distribution decisions.

This approach could make better use of medicines already purchased. It could also shorten delivery times and reduce costs by improving routes. However, the article does not describe other clinical substitutes or replacement medicines. The planned system is focused on locating and moving existing stock. Initial projects are expected in November, with implementation planned for January 2027.

In general, a public-health supply chain is the network and process that moves medicines from procurement to patients. It includes storage, inventory records, transportation, hospital pharmacies, and distribution to care departments. In Mexico’s case, the proposed council aims to make this process more coordinated and visible.

Each part matters. Storage protects supplies until they are needed. Inventory management shows what is available and where. Transportation moves products between warehouses and facilities. Traceability records a medicine’s path from purchase to delivery. Together, these functions can help staff find supplies and respond when local stock is missing.

The article highlights why this matters: medicines may be purchased but delayed by storage, distribution, or delivery problems. Mexico uses about 3 billion units yearly across more than 1,000 hospitals and nearly 15,000 health centers. Digital tools and AI are intended to improve control, routes, and real-time decisions.