PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON HEALTH AND CARE IN THE DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET

The European Commission launched a public consultation in July 2017 on how Europe should support digital innovation in health and care. Demographic change, increasing numbers of chronic diseases, re-emergence of infectious diseases and the rising cost of healthcare mean major challenges for Europe.

Digital innovation can offer cost-effective tools to support the transition from a hospital-based healthcare model to a person-centred and integrated model, to improve health promotion, prevention and access to care, and to contribute to the sustainability and resilience of healthcare systems. Digital transformation of health and care can make the own health data available for citizens in all over Europe allowing them to manage their own health and interact more easily with health service providers. Furthermore, it can help to improve surveillance and early detection of infectious outbreaks, and to accelerate the diagnosis and treatment of patients (for instance in the area of rare diseases).

Citizens, patient organisations, health and care professionals, public authorities, researchers, industries, investors, insurers and users of digital health tools are all invited to share their views until 12 October 2017. That will serve as a basis of a new policy Communication to be adopted by the end of 2017, as announced in the recent review of the Commission’s Digital Single Market strategy.