Concepts

Creation of eHealth National Network in Georgia

The present proposal is worked out on the background and by taking into account the general clauses and recommendations of renewed strategy of eHealth approved by 59^th World Health Assembly (A58/21) at 7 April, 2005 year. 

During last years in Georgia there were observed unsatisfactory healthcare-demographic situation, low birth-rate, increasing of mortality indices, reducing of life expectancy and etc. The worsening of health situation, at first was registered at socially unprotected populations. Besides social-economic reasons worsening of population health indices was stipulated by existed in Georgian healthcare system hard situation. It is known, that Georgian healthcare system is characterized by breach of the principle of staged medical service realization, by imbalance of its first, second and third levels, by deficiency of the modern medical technologies and etc. The necessary tasks of Georgian healthcare sector’s reform are increasing of the level and quality of medical-sanitation services, qualification and efficacy of healthcare professionals. Conversion of healthcare system at the new methodological level, which foresees the usage of quickly developing high technologies, is necessary for this. From this point of view the usage of eHealth, which means organization and implementation of medical-diagnostic consultations and managerial, educational and scientific events in healthcare by application of tele-communication possibilities, is important, effective and perspective.

In accordance with the joint recommendations (SG 2.6-98) of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), eHealth is the integral component of determination and realization of national healthcare policy. It is successfully used for:

1. Administrative aims;
2. Development-strengthen of national healthcare structure;
3. Realization of basic and continuous medical education;
4. Ensuring of quality and efficacy of medical services.

The aim of the present proposal is the introduction of methods of distant medical service and education in Georgian healthcare and planning of creation of national eHealth network in the country. Creation of national eHealth network aims formation of the united country medical-informative space. This will ensure realization of the united database, introduction of the modern medical informative systems in the administration of healthcare.

The necessity of creation of eHealth network in Georgia is stipulated by:

-         Localization of the most part of population in the capital;

-         Tendency of healthcare centralization;

-         Country’s geo-climatic features;

-         Discrepancy between necessity and possibility in regions;

-          High level of treatment financial expenditures.

 The realization of national eHealth network will ensure:

-          Timely, qualified and adequate medical service in country in general and especially in regions and rural areas;

-          Shortening of time period between beginning of illness and starting of medical service;

-          Improvement of population health indices through implementation of trustworthy diagnostic and choice of correct treatment strategy;

-          Usage of the potential of regional specialists;

-          Realization of the economic benefits.

Georgian national eHealth network will be combined with country info-communication structure and maximally use existed resources. The present proposal takes into account unification of technical and program possibilities for the aim to ensure their absolute compatibility.  

The realization of the present proposal aims implementation of the following activities:

• Distant consultations (static and online);

• Biotelemetry;
• Distant education;
• Monitoring;
• Home eHealth.

The maximal efficacy of possibilities of eHealth can be realized through combination of above mentioned activities:

1. Distant consultation + Biotelemetry – emergency and planned medical service;
2. Distant education + Distance consultation – increasing of professional level of healthcare professionals and etc.

The expected results of realization in Georgia of the proposal of creation of national eHealth network are:

• Creation of the united eHealth information system;
• Ensuring of accessibility of specialized medical care for population;
• Decentralization of healthcare system;
• Increasing of  quality of medical service for the aim to improve diagnostic and speed up purposeful actions;
• Reducing of medical services’ costs by reducing of hospitalization days;
• Expansion of commercial services’ list;
• Increasing of efficacy of healthcare professionals working on calls;
• Drawing up of non budgetary financial sources and investing capital in healthcare sector;
• Speed up of introduction of the new methods of diagnostic and treatment;
• Improvement of public health management and epidemiologic control;
• Reducing of transport component in consultation-diagnostical service and education;
• Basic and continuous medical education;
• Continuous education of population;
• Distant follow-up and rehabilitation of patients;
• Creation of the united database;
• Development of national healthcare system and speed up of its integration with foreign systems.