Universal computerization of healthcare must become a national priority project, said Russian Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova during the session on ‘Increasing the Effectiveness of Healthcare Administration’ at the Russian Investment Forum in Sochi.

“We are currently working on a unified national healthcare information system. Vastly expanding the use of digital technologies and digitalizing operations in the sector should be a national project. The Government has presented a law on the mandatory introduction of this system to the State Duma for review”, the Minister explained.

The backbone of the system will be an electronic medical file, which will enable documents to be digitally managed and open up various options for care to be provided remotely – otherwise known as telemedicine. The system will include clinical guidelines with quality criteria and a drug provision system, covering the procurement stage onwards. “Essentially, we will build a big data system that will enable us to effectively manage the healthcare system”, said Skvortsova.

All regions are actively involved in the computerization of healthcare. “Over 60% of doctors’ surgeries throughout the country have already introduced automation, both at primary and institutional levels”, said the Minister.

Skvortsova also drew attention to the results and phases of the Health National Project, noting that the project was a genuine breakthrough at the time of its inception, 2005–2006. “Firstly, we collected a pool of national clinical guidelines, with over 1,200 in total. There had never been any national clinical guidelines before, either in the USSR or in Russia”, she said. The guidelines were developed based on international meta-analytical criteria, which significantly affect the outcome of a disease. They have all been developed to the same standard, approved by the Minister, and registered with the Ministry of Justice. “Clinical guidelines are, in effect, a system of recommendations aimed at helping doctors to make decisions”, noted Skvortsova. The Minister also drew particular attention to the importance of revising human resource policy within the healthcare system. “For the first time, we have introduced a mechanism for granting work permits to doctors. The next step is to launch a similar system for paramedical staff”, said Skvortsova.