Ireland could ‘completely transform’ its health system for just a tiny fraction of the HSE’s annual budget.
On Tech Talk this week, one of the men tasked with leading digital transformation at the HSE said we could add 2.5 years of quality life to everyone in Ireland every five years by embracing digital technologies.
HSE Director of Digital Transformation and Open Innovation Martin Curley told Newstalk Tech Correspondent Jess Kelly that the right investment could transform the health system from one of the worst in the Northern Hemisphere to one of the best.
Prof Curley said the investment involves embracing technologies that already exist to monitor patients in the home – freeing up hospital space for those who really need it.
He said the transformation is already underway in the US, where it is now estimated that 40% of hospital admissions will come through home diagnoses.
“We have technology we are trialling that actually gives better vital signs in your home than you would actually have in any of our acute hospitals,” he said.
“We can detect very early, for example, the onset of hyper-tension or prediabetic conditions and immediately intervene.
“We have about 90000 patients with heart failure conditions and about 10,000 are added per year. If we are able to remote monitor these patients and keep them out of hospitals, then it frees up the hospitals for patients who are really sick
“It would keep these patients much safer and they would have much better wellbeing because they would feel they are being monitored all the time.”
🧵The HSE budget is €21 billion. We currently spend 0.024% of that on digital transformation. That's €5 million. @NewstalkFM
— Jess Kelly 👩🏻💻 (@jesskellynt) August 12, 2022
Currently, the HSE spends 0.024% of its annual budget on Professor Curley’s department.
He said he only needs a tiny fraction of the overall to completely transform the system.
“We are currently spending €21bn on a healthcare system that is probably the worst in the Northern Hemisphere – or very close,” he said.
“A small fraction of that applied to digital solutions would completely transform the system.
“We actually think we could add about 2.5 years of quality life to every citizen in Ireland every five years through better data.
“Clinical care made a huge impact and there was great growth in longevity but in the future it is going to be all data and digital.”
🧵The HSE budget is €21 billion. We currently spend 0.024% of that on digital transformation. That's €5 million. @NewstalkFM
— Jess Kelly 👩🏻💻 (@jesskellynt) August 12, 2022
He is calling for his department budget to be increased €5m to €35m this year and €350m next year.
“Then you might get a steady state in year three which would be around €3.5bn but what you would have actually created is a digital health and wellness system that is all about keeping people well and improving their health,” he said.
“€35m or €350m is a tiny fraction - it is a rounding error - of the €21bn we are currently spending.
“We’re spending this and performance isn’t getting better, it is getting worse. So, there isn’t a day to lose. We just need to do this.
“For an amount that comes up to a rounding error could completely transform our health system.”
You can listen back to full interview on Tech Talk with Jess Kelly here:
