Bulletin Τύπου
The information day was a success: “European Health Union and the eHealth Roadmap for Cyprus” which took place on Friday, 28 June 2024 at the Hilton Hotel. The workshop was organized by the National e-Health Authority in cooperation with the Office of the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety of the European Union and with the participation of all stakeholders and institutions.
In his address, the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides delivered by the Minister of Health, Mr. Michael Damianos, said that the European Commission is building a strong European Health Union, in which all the countries of the European Union prepare and deal with health crises together, more effectively and with immediacy. “We therefore consider it our duty as a State to ensure the implementation of e-Health in Cyprus through the Roadmap of the Competent Authority, the National e-Health Authority. We remain committed to ensuring the provision of quality and specialised health services to citizens, as well as their timely access to them”.
For her part, the European Union Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Mrs. Stella Kyriakidou, said that the European Health Data Space is a bold, necessary step towards a more integrated and efficient healthcare system across Europe. “An ambitious project that, as an integral part of the European Health Union, will undoubtedly help to overcome the challenges we face today.” He added that “by harnessing the wealth of digital health data and by working together at a pan-European level, we are confident that we can. For a healthier future for European citizens. Cyprus has been an active partner and leader in this effort and has shown that it can lead and guide others at a pan-European level.”
In his address, the Chairman of the Health Committee of the House of Representatives and Deputy President of DISY, Mr.Efthimios Diplaros stressed that as a state we should demonstrate the necessary will to regulate all the individual issues that could be potential obstacles, such as the difficulty of compliance of providers with regulations, the insufficient education of the population, their familiarity with new technologies, etc. “It is at this point that the Authority’s Roadmap will in essence serve as a basis for a reform plan tailored to national needs, and especially according to Cyprus’ digital maturity and capabilities.
The Chairman of the Board of the National e-Health Authority, Professor Christos N. Schizas, discussed the importance of the European Health Data Space, which is the main pillar of the strong European Health Union. “Serving the European citizen in Health matters, without geographical or other barriers and the control of Health data by the citizen himself will be a milestone in the European events set by the current EU Presidency.”
Mr.Schizas also highlighted the role that EAHY plays in Europe by taking over the coordination of the Joint Action of the EU Member States for the definition of an integrated Electronic Health Record of the European citizen, which will lead us to the European Health Union.
He presented the Roadmap for the implementation of eHealth in Cyprus and Cyprus’ path to a European Health Union, the building of the Health Ecosystem, and our cross-border connection with the rest of Europe.
During the workshop, the Actions of EAHY were presented with reference to the National Citizen’s Health File, the Mobile Heath App and 10 funded European and National Projects coordinated by EAHY, entitled “Extended EHR@EU Data Space for Primary Use (Xt-EHR)” and “European Health Data Space for Secondary Use @CY” which are based on the new regulation that regulates the European Health Data Space (European Health Data Space) which was adopted by the European Parliament in April 2024. Under the new regulation, citizens will benefit from direct and simple access to their Health data when they are in the EU regardless of their location. In addition, the National eHealth Contact Point was introduced to facilitate cross-border access to Health Services.
Cyprus will be the 12th country to join the Transnational Health Service Network, offering: a) the summary of the patient’s medical history, b) e-prescribing and c) e-prescription.
This was followed by a discussion with the participation of the public and partner organisations and questions were answered on the implementation schedule of eHealth in Cyprus. As mentioned, we need to invest in e-Health, which will not only help the citizen and the state in promoting Health, but will bring huge savings in Health expenditure.
28 June 2024