Birinci: “Healthcare institutions are becoming more effective, more efficient and successful by digitalizing.” "2023 HIMSS Eurasia Healthcare Information Conference and Fair", organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the Health Care Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), started in Istanbul. HIMSS Eurasia 2023, where digital hospitals, e-health, smart systems and technologies in health, artificial intelligence and advanced practices were exhibited, brought together health IT companies, public and private sector, health managers and health IT professionals. Şuayip Birinci and Huzeyfe Yılmaz, Deputy Ministers of Health, also attended the fair, which will form the basis for collaborations in the field of health informatics and technology on an international scale. In his speech at the opening of the conference, Birinci drew attention to the current situation of world health and the challenges to be encountered in the future. Birinci stated that the increase of the elderly population in cities increases the demand for health infrastructure, and added, "We must make a lot of effort to understand the negative effects of environmental factors, air and noise pollution, especially in cities, on health and to develop policies accordingly." Referring to the "One Health" perspective that protects the health of every living thing in a holistic way, Birinci noted that 75 percent of the infectious diseases are transmitted from animals to humans and that health should be addressed with an approach that covers not only human health but also the entire ecosystem. Birinci stated that it is important to develop policies considering people who cannot access basic healthcare services and added, "Even today, 200 million people around the world have to spend 25 percent of their total household income for healthcare services. While the ratio of out-of-pocket expenses to household income is 3.3 among OECD countries , Türkiye has the lowest figure among these countries, with 1.4. It may seem good for today, but with increasing risks, we may have to develop new budgets or behavioral models. Türkiye needs to increase both human resources and health expenditures. While Europe increased the number of doctors by 15 percent in 10 years, we increased it by 38 percent. Among OECD countries, 33 percent of the physicians are over the age of 55, while this rate is 15 percent in our country". Stating that the rate of looking at health data on the internet has increased threefold in the last 10 years in technology use, from 18 to 54 percent, Birinci noted that digital tools are an opportunity to increase the health literacy of the individuals and reduce the information asymmetry between the doctors and the patients. Saying that the new oil of the age is data and that Türkiye has many advantages in terms of health data, Birinci pointed out the importance of data-based health care, and management culture with information and informatics. Noting that the life expectancy in the world increased from 67 in 2000 to 73 in 2019, Birinci said, “Unfortunately, only 5 of these extra years are healthy. When you look at it, life expectancy is getting longer, but very few have a healthy lifespan. We also need to improve the quality of this lifespan. Therefore, an individual needs to pay attention to their health, use technology as an effective tool for this awareness, and health needs to be placed at the center of everybody’s every moment.” Birinci continued his words as follows: “As many of us know, the number of the hospitals that have received validation at least once in HIMSS EMRAM 6 and above has reached 300. This is actually a great cultural change for us, and it is extremely motivational that it is even more effective in the field. Because everyone wants their situation to be discovered and known, and they change the culture within the organization accordingly. The healthcare institutions are becoming more effective, more efficient and successful institutions by digitalizing. This motivation allows the team there to grow, and everyone to work synchronously. We have benefited from this very well for years. This cultural transformation also offers new industrial opportunities.” HIMSS Eurasia 2023 Healthcare Information Conference and Fair will continue until November 24 and will host important discussions and collaborations on the future of the healthcare industry.
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