Slovakia needs to introduce more innovations in healthcare – euractiv.sk
Bratislava, October 14, 2021 – The pandemic takes care of the importance of healthcare and its institutions to accelerate and expand their innovative efforts for the benefit of the patient. Innovation is the driving force behind the transformation of healthcare to achieve patient care, reduce costs and make the work environment more attractive to doctors and healthcare professionals. These include innovative approaches to treatment and diagnosis, the development of telemedicine, the introduction of virtual reality into medical procedures, digitization and the effective use and protection of health data. Medtech and innovative research can also contribute to reducing the pillars of the Slovak economy with the creation of new jobs, if innovations are created at home in Slovakia. Experts agreed at a conference called The importance of innovations in the Slovak healthcare systemwhich he organizes today American Chamber of Commerce of the Slovak Republic with the support of partners under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance, Regional Development and Informatization of the Slovak Republic and the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia.
Funding from European sources such as the RRF Recovery and Resilience Plan, the EU Next Generation Next Generation Renewal Fund, as well as the EU budget for 2021-2027, there are unique opportunities for the modernization of the Slovak healthcare system.
“Health should be one of the most important reforms supported by the Recovery and Resilience Plans, and the introduction of innovation and responsible digital solutions should be an integral part of it. The benefits and opportunities of technological progress and the potential of disruptive technologies are a necessary link with the expertise and knowledge of qualified health professionals in order to ensure timely, less invasive, less expensive and, in particular, affordable healthcare. With the right setting and the necessary courage to implement innovative solutions, the moment in which Slovakia finds itself is a unique opportunity to fundamentally improve the state of the Slovak healthcare system with significant added value for the citizen, ” he said Ján Hargaš, State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Regional Development and Informatization of the Slovak Republic.
According to the new state secretary of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic Robert BabelIn recent months, we have been reading exactly where we are introducing little innovation in the healthcare sector and what steps have been missed in recent years. “The unpreparedness of the entire sector for telemedicine or electronic communication with the patient, but also with other entities, rocketed processes at the Ministry of Health. However, the truth is that innovation in healthcare is not just about electronicization in relation to the patient. Steps such as legislative changes, e.g. in the field of drug policy, where, in addition to new innovative drugs or medical devices, Slovakia wants to remain a country where it pays to do clinical research projects, often with breakthrough innovative technologies, ”Said Róbert Babeľa.
Innovative diagnostics and a more efficient way of the patient to treatment
The conference shares experiences from existing projects of using innovative technologies and access in healthcare, such as telemedicine in the treatment of pediatric cardiac patients in Bratislava or the use of virtual reality in the treatment of psychiatric patients (cognity care). There are also talk of new approaches in diagnostics, especially in oncological diseases, where the diagnosis of treatment samples and patients’ blood is a basic prerequisite for innovative treatment. A big topic was also bioconvergence – ie the previous setting of medicine, where the differences between biology, engineering, nanotechnology and IT.
“Why is investing in health care a top priority? Healthcare is an investment in a longer and healthier life. As the pandemic recently came to us, health systems contribute to the well-being of society as a whole, while their lack of resilience has many harmful side effects., “He said Jasper Kunow, Managing Director for Central Eastern Europe at MSD.
Public procurement based on values in healthcare
They are more concerned with more innovative approaches, which are changing the view and setting of public procurement.
“Value Based Procurement is a multidisciplinary approach based on partnership and focused on the patient and quality and financially sustainable healthcare. By focusing on value (including the assessment of the quality of care and the cost of results), instead of focusing on the price itself, public authorities can jointly contribute to the effective provision of better quality care., “He said Pavol Lepey, Head of Healthcare Transformation & Market Access at Roche Slovensko.
The AmCham Conference is a pioneer in connecting and collaborating Slovak leaders in the healthcare and technology sectors to shape the principles, policies and partnerships needed in this new challenging context. The American Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak Republic has long been involved in the introduction of innovative approaches to Slovak healthcare within its healthcare committee.
The partners of the conference were Merck Sharp & Dohme, sro, Roche Slovensko, sro, Microsoft Slovakia sro, Deutsche Telekom IT Solutions Slovakia, IBM Slovakia, spol. sro, Johnson & Johnson, sro, Medtronic Slovakia, sro, Siemens Healthineers, Novartis Slovakia sro, Diagnose.me, AIslovakIA and OnkoAliancia.