An overview of Mexico’s hospital capacity
Mexico ranks second in Latin America and the Caribbean for its number of hospitals, following Brazil with 6.7 thousand of these medical institutions. The second most populated country in the region had an estimated 3.5 thousand for-profit privately owned hospitals, and more than 1.5 thousand publicly owned clinics in 2021. Not-for-profit privately owned hospitals amounted to 20 units that year. According to a ranking considering patient safety, human capital, and patient experience among other characteristics, one of these not-for-profit institutions was the second leading hospital in the country based on quality. The leading hospital in Mexico, according to these criteria, is for profit and private.Despite ranking second in Latin America and the Caribbean for its number of hospitals, when it comes to hospital beds per 1,000 people, Mexico ranks 12th, with Argentina and Cuba having nearly four hospital beds per 1,000 people more than the North American nation. Although over 70 percent of Mexican hospitals are privately owned, most hospital beds are located on public institutions, with over 36 percent of beds used on the area of obstetrics, gynecology, or pediatrics, and 14 percent used for internal medicine patients.
Physicians, nurses, and other hospital personnel
When it comes to personnel, an estimated 900 thousand people work in hospitals in Mexico. This includes professionals in different areas such as physicians and nurses, dentists, pharmacists, laboratory assistants, audiologists, and any other division of hospital staff. From the category of physicians, nurses, and other health specialized professionals registered as working in Mexico in 2021, close to 32 percent work on psychiatric and addiction treatment hospitals, while close to six percent work in general hospitals. Half of these professionals work on doctor’s offices, which are sometimes located in hospitals and clinics. Regarding salary, in average, annual remuneration of general practitioners in Mexico has been decreasing overall in recent years, amounting to an estimated 21 thousand U.S. dollars in 2020, down from nearly 23 thousand U.S. dollars in 2019, and from over 27 thousand U.S. dollars in 2013.
