Spain's Minister of Health Salvador Illa announced in September that the General Secretariat of Digital Health, and the National Health System (SNS), are working on a national Digital Health Strategy.
The strategy seeks to boost data analytics in health services in Spain and achieve homogenization of available public health information. Its objectives also include promoting the electronic interoperability of information and health resources, for the development of Digital Health services that support the management and administration of them.
“The coronavirus pandemic has valued the importance of digital health and the need to enhance and optimize health information systems. Much progress has been made in strengthening epidemiological information systems, although further strengthening is needed," Illa said. In addition, the minister stressed the importance of digital health technologies when applied massively: "Digital tools are called to increase life years and improve prognosis and quality of life.”
On the other hand, the Spanish Society of Health Informatics (SEIS) has worked for several years on a comprehensive Digital Health plan. Luciano Sáez, responsible for this organization, was interviewed by the Spanish ConSalud.es, weeks after presenting report SEIS 2019.
He said that the report “is a collaborative work of our Society with the Health Services of each autonomous community, with the Ministry of Health and with Red.es, provides us with a picture of the reality, of the means that are made available to organizations for their digital strategy and the advances in services that are being produced”.
However, it acknowledged that in 2019, there was a decrease in ICT investment, almost 3% compared to the previous year, so there was a cut of 21 thousand euros. Despite this, in Spain it has experienced improvements in electronic medical history (HCE), electronic prescription, or digitization of diagnostic tests. Currently all health services have HCE, which is available online for 94% of citizens.
In the interview, the official noted that "the technological means of health services have lived up to the situation arising from the pandemic." He also recognized that health systems were not prepared for the pandemic challenge.
Regarding the creation of the General Secretariat of Digital Health, Illa commented that “It is very good news that a second-level structure has been created directly depending directly on the Minister of Health to articulate the claimed National Digital Health Strategy.”
