President Claudia Sheinbaum inaugurated Mexico’s first smart operating room at the new IMSS Bienestar General Hospital in Jiutepec, Morelos, on May 23, 2026 [2].
The facility aims to reduce the technological gap for citizens who lack social security by integrating high-technology medical care into the public health system [1].
The project involved an investment of 715 million pesos [1]. The new hospital is designed to serve a significant population of residents in the region, with estimates ranging from 200,000 [1] to 700,000 people without social security [3].
Located in the state of Morelos, the Hospital General del IMSS Bienestar features a "quirófano inteligente," a smart operating room, and is intended to incorporate tele-robotic telemedicine [3]. While some reports indicated that operations for the smart operating room and robotic telemedicine were planned to begin in February 2026 [3], the official inauguration ceremony took place in late May [2].
This facility is part of a broader administration effort to expand healthcare infrastructure. The inauguration of the Jiutepec site follows the completion of 29 new hospitals during the administration's tenure [2].
By providing advanced surgical capabilities in a public setting, the government seeks to ensure that specialized medical technology is not limited to private clinics or high-income patients. The integration of robotic telemedicine is intended to allow specialists to provide care across distances, potentially increasing the efficiency of the public health network in Morelos.
“Mexico’s first smart operating room”
The launch of the smart operating room represents a shift toward digitizing Mexico's public health infrastructure. By deploying robotic telemedicine and high-tech surgical suites in the IMSS Bienestar system, the government is attempting to decentralize specialized care from major urban hubs and make advanced medicine accessible to the uninsured population.
