I believe the healthcare professionals in the countries and regions stated all look forward to the EHR/supporting ITs and would welcome them when available. The vendors need to pitch their sales to these groups and associations who can help put presssure on corrupt career politicians for their adoption. I agree with the fact that corruption is a major barrier but I believe it is not insurmountable.
Anna, IT and electronic industry are finding new ways to improve healthcare sector. Cheaper tablets with internet connections are being used now a day to get realtime feedback on surgery and diagnostics. I think the challenge lies in keeping the cost low, which can be done by distributing the task in different time zones while health practitioners perform operations or diagnose the problem.
@ Tirlapur, the length of time cannot be gauged at this present time. This is because there are issues surrounding the political and funding mechanisms. It is complex and currently is underfunded, like in any system of government. For example, although private funding has increased efficiency in hospitals and health care organisations priviledged to have health IT systems installed,but has excluded certain population groups who are unable to pay for the cost of the treatment required.
Nevetheless, I think with the encouragement of private funding, coupled with that of central government's, medical equipments OEMs can also offer various financing options for service providers to adopt IT systems and hopefully this will create and improve IT standards overall that will be worthy of emulation.
Many countries of Central Europe are already doing away with their ageing medical facilities, they are now making use of modernise health equipments. The medical equipment vendors has to come up with the strategies to overcome health challenges in this region to have their market.
I thought the government was providing incentives to health professionals that utilize EMR records systems? So, if anything, shouldn't the govenrment be responsible for the standardization process and oversight?
Anna, Thanks for the article. I totally agree with you that the lack of interoperability of health IT systems is one of the major problems faced by health industry. But how long do you think it would take governments and hospitals to come up with health IT standards which can be followed by all ? With many countries facing debt crisis do you think health care IT will get lower priority ?
Thank you for your comment and the two challenges you have identified.
The first, shortages of workforce in the health care services and declining population. This is as a result of economic and political related problems or challenges in the regions.
The second point you have mentioned - corruption, which may have hampered health IT penetration in the region. I certainly agree that these have been difficult issues to tackle by the government and various organisations in central Europe
However, my point is that if the introduction and installation of health IT in some parts of the region have proved productive and beneficial to all concerned, then intractable issues can be managed to a degree. Though it may take longer as you rightly pointed out in your comment.
I think all it requires will be for the medical and electronics equipments manufacturer and all companies involved to strategise their sales and marketing methods, to enable some sort of penetration.
There's potential growth in the high tech industry in these regions that is worth tapping and huge benefits overall.
"and serious corruption issue" Indeed, they don't want informatics technology in the Healthcare sector because it is easy to discover the overpriced supplies and the "black" money that maybe has been given to pharmaceutical firms. .
The Medical Industry is and always has been represented as a Growth area.An area of massive,steady growth though the years.
This is something which has not been missed by most Electronics manufacturers.As for Central Europe.Two big problems that most people is a rapidly declining population and serious corruption issue that do not permit rapid adoption of Technology.
Both these problems are much more intractable and may not be solved very,very easily.
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Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
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Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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