On 5 October 2023, at the Ministry of Health, a meeting between the Digital Health and Innovation Cluster (DHI Cluster) and the Minister of Health Prof. Hristo Hinkov, was held. The Cluster was represented by Mira Ganova, Executive Director, Dr. Rosen Dimitrov, Chairman of the Board and Pavel Panayotov, Board Member.
Three main topics were discussed during the meeting:
I. National Strategy for eHealth and Digitalisation of the Health System 2030:
- The position of the Cluster regarding the published Draft Strategy;
- The potential role of the Cluster in the advisory board set out therein;
- The need to establish a public digital health authority within the Department of Health to ensure strong national leadership, effective governance and the development of expertise in digital transformation of the health sector;
- Secondary use of health data for research and innovation development.
II. Investment projects in the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan of the Republic of Bulgaria:
- National digital platform for medical diagnostics;
- Digital transformation of the Bulgarian Post to provide basic telemedicine diagnostic services in remote locations lacking healthcare.
III. Initiative to organize a joint event between the Ministry of Health and the Cluster aimed at informing the public about what health data is, what is its importance for the Bulgarian citizens, what are the ways to access it and the opportunities it provides to increase transparency and control of all activities in the health care system.
The Digital Health and Innovation Cluster (DHI Cluster) brings together 50 organizations in the healthcare sector and has been working for 5 years for sustainable and effective healthcare based on data, technology and innovation. Sustainable healthcare policies and strategies are key to achieving the organisation’s goals. Working with key stakeholders and institutions on these topics is an important part of the activities.
