The program aims to improve the health system and achieve greater accessibility and quality for both patients and health workers.
The progress in the creation of the Federal Digital Health Program were made in a videoconference that brought together authorities from the Ministry of Health, with ministers of health from different provinces of Argentina, authorities of international organizations and representatives of the private sector.
“This program is a means to a great end, which is the sustained transformation of the health system, since they are not only technological innovations, but also social, among different relevant actors of the health system,” Martín Sabignoso, head of the Secretariat of Equity in Health, explained.
The Argentine government has an investment of 4 billion pesos (60 million dollars), over a span of three years to meet specific targets on the digital agenda. The secretary explained that they are working to develop the program in different locations: “We are supporting provinces to build capacities in processing data, with information management technologies. The goal is to generate new skills, which is why the program has a special focus on training, to take advantage of all the benefits of digital health.”
The main proposals for this new program are the implementation of different tools such as digital medical history, telehealth, patient portal, digital prescription, improving information management, developing technology based on Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality, and improving connectivity in health facilities.
This kind of tools will be accompanied by the necessary equipment, which the Argentine government will make available to health centers.