IMSS Expands Residency Slots to Address Specialist Gap

The Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) is expanding its specialist training capacity, with 10,127 physicians entering residency programs and 7,432 graduating this year. Since 2019, IMSS has increased the number of residency scholarships, reaching a total of 71,000 offered between 2018 and 2026. Training sites have grown from 200 to 393, and specialization courses from 894 to 1,325, doubling the number of residents in the system to 25,000. The expansion aims to address long-term shortages in key areas such as Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, Pediatrics and Gynecology, aligning training capacity with institutional workforce needs.

Mexico’s largest public healthcare provider, the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), is expanding its pipeline of medical specialists, with 10,127 physicians entering residency programs this year and 7,432 completing their training, according to Zoé Robledo, Director General, IMSS.

“Investing in specialists is investing in timely care, quality, the future, and in strengthening health in Mexico,” says Robledo, noting that IMSS trains roughly half of all medical specialists in Mexico. 

Robledo said the milestone is a structural shift in how the institution addresses the country’s shortage of specialists. He explained that the closing ceremony of the 2026-2027 academic cycle for medical specialization courses marks both the graduation of residents and the entry of new physicians who passed the National Exam for Medical Residencies (ENARM) and will begin training in one of 71 specialties offered by IMSS.

This year’s intake of 10,127 new residents represents a substantial increase compared to prior years. In 2013, the institute offered about 3,300 residency scholarships, while in 2006, it offered 2,450. Between 2006 and 2018, IMSS granted close to 44,000 residency scholarships over 12 years.

Beginning in 2019, the institution accelerated the expansion of residency slots, according to Robledo, offering 5,800 scholarships, followed by 8,300 in 2020, with continued increases in subsequent years. In 2025 and 2026 alone, more than 20,000 scholarships have been made available. Between 2018 and 2026, IMSS will have offered 71,000 residency scholarships.

Under the IMSS model, residents are enrolled in academic institutions but receive scholarships funded by the institute, which also assumes responsibility for clinical training in hospitals and medical units. The expansion required additional investment in teaching staff, infrastructure and support facilities.

The growth in residency slots has translated into higher graduation numbers. This year, 7,432 specialists are completing their training and will enter the hiring process in March. By contrast, in 2006, IMSS graduated 1,843 specialists. In subsequent years, annual figures ranged between 1,500 and 2,000, reflecting the lower number of scholarships offered in earlier cycles.

Graduation numbers began rising after 2020, as the first cohorts admitted under the expanded scholarship program completed their training. The highest output to date was recorded in 2023, when residents who entered in 2020 concluded three-year programs such as Internal Medicine.

To support the increase in trainees, IMSS expanded its network of training sites. The number of accredited units offering specialization courses has grown from 200 to 393 and the number of specialization courses offered rose from 894 to 1,325. Across all years of residency training, the total number of residents in the system increased from 13,000 to 25,000.

Robledo said concerns that expanding slots would affect quality were addressed by opening new training sites and investing in infrastructure, including rest areas and study spaces for residents. Some facilities have incorporated wellness areas to support trainees during their programs.

The strategy also seeks to align training capacity with institutional needs. IMSS has increased slots in specialties such as Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, Pediatrics and Gynecology, areas where staffing gaps had persisted. In previous years, many graduates opted for private practice rather than public institutions. Officials say recent cohorts are increasingly joining IMSS and other public facilities, in part because training slots have been aligned with hiring needs.

The institute maintains that expanding training capacity remains the only long-term strategy to close vacancies in specialist care across the public health system. With more than 10,000 new residents entering the system this year and more than 7,000 specialists graduating, IMSS is positioning workforce development as a central pillar of service delivery planning