The Ministry of Public Health in the Dominican Republic is backing a general effort to digitalize healthcare systems in the country.
Public Health Minister Victor Atallah participated in the recent RECAINSA Digital Health Forum 2024 held in Santo Domingo 23-25 July 2024. Leading experts from the healthcare and technology fields are meeting to discuss and formulate public policies aimed at accelerating the digitalization of healthcare systems both within the Dominican Republic and across the region.
Representatives from 21 countries have come to share experiences and exchange ideas to promote the inclusive and equitable digital transformation of the healthcare sector in Latin America and the Caribbean. “Digital health is not a trend, digital health is not a step… it is an essential need in the transformation and in the way we do health and make health more efficient in our countries,” stated Dr. Atallah.
In this regard, he affirmed that the country has made significant progress in the area and revealed that a national digital health strategy will be published soon, in addition to work being carried out on health transformation, as well as other projects that seek to promote and improve access to health information.
For his part, the Vice Minister of the Digital Agenda, José Montilla, pointed out that digital health must be analyzed microscopically due to the great magnitude of the challenges it represents since there are challenges in both health and digital matters, and these multiply when combined.
As a result, he highlighted the gaps and deficiencies that exist in the infrastructures of both systems. However, he affirmed that it is possible to improve the health system as long as there is proper legislation and regulation favoring the transformation of the health sector.
The forum served as a crucial platform for fostering dialogue and collaboration among key stakeholders, paving the way for a more integrated and technologically driven healthcare landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean. The insights and recommendations shared during the event are expected to guide policymakers and healthcare professionals as they navigate the ever-evolving digital health landscape.
The digital healthcare transformation will enable patients’ records to be shared over the public healthcare platforms with a significant impact on patients’ wellbeing. At present, major private medical centers already offer their medics in different fields to share the records of the patients in the center offering more integrative medical care.
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Digital Health Forum
24 July 2024