The Estonian Presidency of the EU Council has opened the debate on digital health, in line with its commitment in its work programme. Together with the ECHAlliance, the Presidency has launched a consultation to ask stakeholders about the different obstacles to the deployment of digital health.
The various contributions and positions will be integrated in the Digital Health Society Declaration, which will be signed at the high-level e-health conference in Tallinn on 16-18 August. The declaration is expected to guide the discussions (and conclusions) of the EU health ministers at their meeting in December.
"More than 100 organisations – leading European Union stakeholders representing policy makers, citizens, health professionals, scientists, companies and payers – are already working on this document (Digital Health Society Declaration) that can make a difference to really achieve the digital transformation of healthcare systems", Ain Aaviksoo, Estonia’s Deputy Secretary General of E-services Development and Innovation, stated. "There is a growing demand for using digital solutions to the benefit of people’s health. To have full control over their health, citizens must also have control over their health data. The DHS can help the EU achieve this in collaboration."
The Estonian Presidency states that four digital health task forces have been set up with the help of the ECHAlliance (a network founded notably by Roche, Johnson&Johnson, Intel and Dell, which aims to put different e-health systems in contact). The topics of the four task forces are: (1) convergence on interoperability standards and digital tele-healthcare protocol; (2) citizen-controlled data governance; (3) the legal framework facilitating the free flow of data and the re-use of data; and (4) digital transformation and change management in health and social care organisations. Each DHS task force will publish its conclusions in September 2017. The conclusions will be accompanied by a call for commitments and actions, the Estonian Presidency states in its press release. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)