Advances in telemedicine, a first step in the search for a sustainable health system

Developing a manual of good practices implies not only the existence of teleconsultation as an established practice, but also sustaining it allows this experience to be normalized together with the knowledge and advances that the pandemic left us in this regard.

by Héctor Portualé

Es necesario asegurar la continuidad de le telemedicina hoy, cuando todo pretende volver “a la normalidad” (EFE/EPA/ALEX PLAVEVSKI)

The Argentine Ministry of Health recently published a document on Good Practices for Teleconsultation with patients and, although this meant excellent news for those of us who work in the field of health, in some way it did not have greater relevance at a general level.

It is these types of initiatives that we should celebrate not only in our country, but throughout the Latin American region, because they represent initial instances of digitization that will allow tomorrow, in a sustained and joint manner, to achieve more sustainable health systems.

The fact of developing a manual of good practices implies not only the existence of teleconsultation as an established practice, but also sustaining it makes it possible to normalize said experience together with the knowledge and advances that the pandemic left us in this regard. And in turn, it is necessary to ensure its continuity today when everything aims to return "to normal."

It is important then to take the momentum of these implementations to promote visions that are bold enough to allow us to think of digital health care systems from the beginning, native digital health systems designed from the user and with patients at the center, because of otherwise we would be replicating problems and deficiencies of the “analog” system that we already know.

In this sense, the Health Movement 2030 comes to promote and identify synergies, interaction and co-creation between parties to unite the health system and the innovation ecosystem in the search for joint solutions, redefining the way in which it is planned, financed, provided, measures and accounts for medical care....

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