It is great to be here in Kunming today, talking with you about the importance of information and technology in health.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are all here today for one very important reason: technological advances in how we use and exchange health information have the power to revolutionize how we deliver health services.
Mobile phone technology is probably the most rapidly adopted technology in the history of human civilization.
Now, I ask you to imagine for a moment the power of this technology, if leveraged for the benefit of health: that is, billions of mobile devices that potentially have the capacity to deliver to people, for example, information about healthy lifestyles, or disease threats, or even simple reminders to patients to take their medication.
Technology really does have the power to change, and save, lives.
Friends, good information – and good systems for managing this information – are fundamentally important for the health system:
- Every day in China, millions of prescriptions are written, tests and diagnostic scans performed, and millions of patients receive advice or information from their health care provider.
- Effectively managing all of this information is vital – to how hospitals and health providers manage services; to how clinicians manage their patients, and to how patients are able to manage their own care.
Strengthening access to and management of health information has enormous potential to improve health service delivery – such as by reducing adverse drug events, or avoiding unnecessary duplications of tests or expensive diagnostic scans.
Strengthening health information therefore also has the potential to reduce waste and inefficiency within the health system, and save potentially trillions of dollars of wasted resources.
In China, many places already have good health information systems in place and working well. This is a terrific start.
But to ensure we realize the benefits of technology and strengthening health information in China, we now need to build on this solid foundation, by:
- First, ensuring strong electronic health information systems are rolled out across the country as part of the health reforms, and
- Second, ensuring there are consistent standards in place so that different health information systems are ‘joined up’, and information can be easily shared between them.
These things are critical to the efficiency and effectiveness of the health system overall, because good information is vital for public health decision making, planning and resource allocation. Indeed, the success of China’s health reform process depends on getting this right.
So, I look forward to hearing more about your work in this very important area today, as we all work together to strengthen information systems for the benefit of health in China.
Thank you.