Bridging Latin America’s “Last Mile” in Primary Care

2026-01-26

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In the remote town of Uréu, nestled in Colombia’s Antioquia province, a doctor is operating a Mindray MX7 portable ultrasound to perform a prenatal checkup. Hundreds of miles away in Medellín, a specialist watches live clinical images on a screen, guiding the procedure in real time.

This scene captures the promise of Mindray’s smart Imaging Ecosystem, a system designed to bring advanced care to underserved communities and usher Latin America’s healthcare into a new era of connectivity and intelligence.

Antioquia illustrates Colombia’s healthcare gap: 80% of advanced resources are concentrated in Medellín, while rural areas—home to 15% of the population—face shortages of specialists, poor transport, and an unstable power supply. Nearly half of maternal and fetal deaths occur in these underserved regions.

Technology Meets Urgent Need

Remote Ultrasound as a Lifeline for Rural Clinics

To confront this disparity, the provincial government launched “Contigo Antioquia,” a sweeping initiative that places telemedicine at its core.

Connecting Care Beyond Borders with Contigo Antioquia Program

Contigo Antioquia is a telemedicine program launched by the Antioquia government to deliver specialist care to remote communities.

In 2025, it equipped 100 hospitals and 250 clinics with telehealth tools and enabled 147 specialist consultations across 60 municipalities.*

* Data resource antioquia.gov.co

Mindray’s integrated remote imaging solution has emerged as a cornerstone of this effort. Today, hospitals in six pilot towns—including Uréu and Dabeiba—are connected to expert networks through the system, enabling remote consultations and real-time guidance. The model is simple yet transformative: local clinicians perform scans; specialists interpret and advise from afar.

Equipped with Smart OB protocols and iScanhelper optimization tools, frontline providers can capture standardized images quickly and accurately. These images are transmitted securely to the cloud, where experts review and guide care without delay. The approach not only improves diagnostic precision but also empowers local teams through a “teach and assist” framework.

A Blueprint for Equitable Healthcare

Scaling Remote Imaging Across Latin America

The success of this pilot offers a blueprint for Latin America’s broader healthcare ambitions. Antioquia plans to scale the program to at least 100 facilities by 2027, extending its reach to thousands more families.

Marta Cecilia Ramírez

The Province’s Health Secretary

This means bringing specialists to the most remote corners of Antioquia. It’s an enormous undertaking.

Gene Liang

General Manager of Mindray’s International Medical Imaging Marketing Division.

We are proud to contribute to Antioquia’s modernization journey through our innovative Remote Imaging platform.

Our goal is to work hand in hand with governments and institutions across Latin America to make equitable healthcare a reality.

Globally, Mindray’s MiCo+ platform already serves more than 47,000 professionals and hosts nearly 70,000 community groups. In 2024 alone, it supported over 10,000 live teaching sessions and consultations in China, benefiting 90,000 clinicians. Its secure, high-speed connectivity has earned acclaim in Southeast Asia and beyond.

The deployment in Latin America is more than a technological milestone—it is a vivid expression of the principle of “Better healthcare for all.” As the initiative expands, Mindray’s smart Imaging Ecosystem will continue to fortify public health networks, safeguard mothers and newborns, and advance the vision of healthcare without borders.

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