Washington, DC, 20 November 2025 (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization(WHO), with support from the Ministry of Health, conducted the Policy Dialogue for Strengthening the Nursing Workforce in Mexico on 19–20 November 2025 in Mexico City.
The hybrid meeting brought together 48 in-person participants and 36 virtual attendees, including national authorities, representatives of academic institutions, professional councils and associations, and regulatory bodies. Over two days of discussions, participants reviewed data and evidence on the nursing workforce, identified priority challenges, and outlined concrete actions across four strategic areas: education, jobs, leadership, and service delivery. The dialogue also resulted in consensus and commitments toward developing a national strategic plan to guide nursing policies and investments in the country.
“Mexico is undergoing a decisive stage in the transformation of its health systems; therefore, this dialogue aligns directly with the National Development Plan, the Health Sector Program, and the Nursing Master Plan 2025–2030,” said Sandra Moya, Director of Nursing at the Ministry of Health of Mexico. “During these sessions, we will reflect on four fundamental pillars for strengthening nursing in Mexico: education, employment, leadership, and service delivery,” she added.
“We are beginning a meeting with a profound strategic purpose. This dialogue is not just an event; it is a participatory planning exercise, a space where visions, experiences, and knowledge converge to strengthen the nursing profession—one of the most important pillars for the health and well-being of the population,” said José Moya, PAHO Representative in Mexico.
“We have advanced the nursing policy dialogues, a fundamental component for PAHO, using evidence as a starting point to create a space for exchange where different actors can discuss key issues and challenges related to the nursing workforce and seek responses aligned with global and regional frameworks,” said Benjamin Puertas, unit chief of the Human Resources for Health at PAHO.
The Nursing Policy Dialogues promoted by PAHO and WHO serve as a strategic mechanism for countries to bring together key stakeholders from the health, education, labor, and regulatory sectors to analyze the nursing workforce and propose evidence-based solutions. These spaces support the participatory identification of policy priorities, the definition of concrete actions, and the establishment of interinstitutional commitments to advance shared goals.
This initiative reinforces PAHO’s commitment to strengthening intersectoral governance and advancing concrete actions that contribute to a sustainable nursing workforce while expanding the essential contributions of nurses to more responsive, equitable, and resilient health systems.
