“Trust is the true currency of digital health care,” the head of state remarked. “Earning that trust has been the basis of building up the digital state as a whole in Estonia, and has paved the way for innovation in health care. Estonia’s digital medicine is a secure system that supports public services and forms a natural part of people’s lives.”
To illustrate his point, President Karis said that everybody in Estonia can see in real time which doctors or officials have viewed their data. “Our experience shows it is society’s trust that has enabled researchers to gather genetic information about people in Estonia, which contributes to global research and is now finding its way into medical practice,” he added. The head of state also gave the example of digital prescriptions, the transition to which has freed up doctors’ time.
President Karis further pointed out the cooperation between the state, the private sector and universities at the international level. “Today’s discussion shows just how much can be achieved through public-private partnerships,” he remarked. “Estonia has the experience of building up a nationwide digital system under its belt, while the UK boasts world-class science. By combining the two we can create a health care system that is not merely digital, but measurably better, more preventive and more personalised for everyone.”
The head of state added that although there should be no compromising on data protection, discussions on how to strike a balance between innovation and the protection of citizens’ privacy must go on.
The delegation of Estonian health technology companies in London includes Antegenes, Better Medicine, ChemestMed, Health Founders, Kodality, Lifeyear, Menken Trials, Mentastic, Migrevention, Mu-Ray Tech, Muun Health, Power Algae, Solis Biodyne, Tallinn Health Care College, TBD Pharmatech and Thorgate Digital.
Gallery (Office of the President/Raigo Pajula): https://www.flickr.com/photos/presidendikantselei/albums/
