Experts in health information systems, specialized journalists and authorities from international organizations met during a virtual event organized by a pharmaceutical company
The COVID-19 pandemic has repositioned digital transformation strategies on the agendas of Latin American governments, especially in the health sector where the digitization of health systems can generate multiple benefits.
During the virtual event held from 13 to 16 October, topics on economic development and social welfare, digital transformation into government and health systems, collaborations between public and private sectors, the role of citizens in health and the economy as drivers of social development were addressed.
On these issues, talks arose on the digital transformation processes in Latin America, and how governments must invest in connectivity and infrastructure to bridge the gap. In response, experts agreed that the public and private sectors must make functional collaborations.
In his participation, Marcelo D'Agostino, who serves as Senior Advisor on Information Systems and Digital Health at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), emphasized that transformation processes begin from higher education. “It is essential that the academy already educates on areas such as information analysis and interoperability so that new professionals in the sector can implement such tools. Finally, digital transformation must rely on strategic communication to achieve strong actions and combat harmful phenomena, such as the infodemic.”
On the management of the pandemic and how technology, data science and digital media have been tools used by various governments in Latin America, Juan Gil, advisor to the Ministry of Public Health of Uruguay, highlighted the work done in his country, “a digital strategy was designed that generated that people could report symptoms and once they had symptoms a passage to the health receiver was generated”.
D'Agostino explained that the pandemic “accelerated awareness of the need for a change to change the digital transformation of the world. I think if there's one thing everyone could ask for today, it's connectivity. This requires the health sector to understand more telecommunications but for the telecommunications sector to understand more about the health sector, and for there to be a dialogue table where decisions are made collectively, and that all of this is then transformed into regulations, into legislation, because we can bring connectivity, but if legislation does not authorize medicine it is the same as nothing. It's like a puzzle where everyone has a role.”
TRADE
https://www.elcomercio.com/tendencias/latinoamerica-transformacion-digital-salud-covid19.html
EL HERALDO COLOMBIA
INFOBAE
