In an interview for Digital Health, Daniel Otzoy, executive director of the Central American Health Informatics Network (RECAINSA) spoke about the organization's current projects and future plans.
RECAINSA emerged more than seven years ago with the idea of promoting Digital Health in Central America, initially with partners in Guatemala and Costa Rica, Daniel Otzoy and Alejandro Benavides, respectively. In addition, relying on a volunteer network that continues to function to date. In 2018, the incorporation of Joseline Carias, promoted the commercial and marketing part of RECAINSA, which began the work of brand provisioning and branding of the organization. Finally, in 2019, the process began to convert RECAINSA into a non-governmental organization (NGO).
In an interview for Digital Health, Otzoy spoke about the exponential growth that RECAINSA has experienced in recent times and the importance of its constitution as an NGO, which will facilitate the self-financing and self-sustainability of the organization. Likewise, he explained the relevance of the network of volunteers in RECAINSA, to achieve the established objectives. Thanks to this, it has been able to participate and collaborate in Digital Health projects in the region.
For example, Otzoy mentioned that RECAINSA has contributed its experience in projects on: strengthening the governance of Digital Health; health data governance; projects that seek to provide technical assistance to other countries; evaluation of the maturity of digital strategy in health through the methodology of the global index of digital health or Global Digital Health Index (GDHI); among others.
He also explained that RECAINSA has participated in a project that aims to assess the maturity of projects that incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems in health. This exercise was carried out in three countries of the Latin American region and in the coming months it will be carried out in another three countries. The model to measure the level of maturity in these cases was developed by the Digital Health group of the Broadband Commission. This initiative was possible thanks to the support of the Novartis Foundation, which has established a link with RECAINSA as strategic partners in the region.
"There is an interesting production of ideas, projects and initiatives, which little by little, thanks to the management with some strategic partners, are obtaining funds and are allowing us to have a greater impact," Otzoy explained about the progress made by the organization in various sectors of Digital Health in the region.
Another of RECAINSA's current projects is the formulation of a public policy program for the digital transformation of the health sector in conjunction with the University of Buenos Aires, specifically with the Law School and Marisa Aizenberg, academic director of the Buenos Aires Health Observatory. this faculty.
Regarding this project, Otzoy explained the following: "It is a short program of 12 to 14 weeks, and what we intend is to have an approach to those elements that a generator of public policies or a high-level decision maker (legislative assemblies, ministers of health, directors of Digital Health) must know about the digital transformation of the health sector, that key evidence”.
In other words, key elements about the transformation in health that are being promoted, for example: eight principles of digital transformation of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the nine principles of data governance promoted by Transform Health.
"What the program intends is to generate those key lines to understand how these elements can be translated into regulatory frameworks that allow strategies to advance, but also guarantee the sustainability of investments," explained Otzoy.
This complements the skills training activities carried out by RECAINSA, such as webinars and workshops, which in turn have promoted the creation of the RECAINSA Digital Health Forum, which this year celebrates its second edition. Or the program Women Leaders in Digital Health, with the Universidad del Bosque in Colombia, which this year has expanded its partial scholarships from 15 to 30.
Finally, Otzoy mentioned some of the projects that RECAINSA is currently working on, for example, an agreement with the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico (INSP).
INTERVIEW WITH DANIEL OTZOY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF RECAINSA
