Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has appointed Vladimir Zelensky as First Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation. Vladimir Zelensky graduated from the Academy of Budget and Treasury of the Ministry of Finance of Russia, is a candidate of economic sciences. He held a number of positions in the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, worked in the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation, and also headed the Moscow City MHI Fund.

Probably, it was precisely the presence of such a wide range of competencies that predetermined the creation, on the initiative of the Minister of Health, Mikhail Murashko, of the second post of the first deputy minister. It is expected that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deal with the implementation of state policy in the field of state guarantee programs and the compulsory medical insurance system, as well as the formation of a digital healthcare environment.

We are now witnessing an unprecedented test of the strength of the healthcare system in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore it is logical and understandable personnel decisions aimed at strengthening this system. Sooner or later the situation will stabilize and it is very important to "work on errors" and once again analyze system errors and "weak points".

At the same time, it is also important to preserve and improve the tools that appeared in connection with the pandemic and accelerated the digitalization process. So, for example, a covid register with information on each case of the disease, as well as a register of vaccinated persons, appeared. The relevance and value of big data for making informed and operational health management decisions now seems clear. Today in the world (USA, Japan, China, Europe) tools aimed at using big data are being actively discussed and implemented. I will cite as an example one of them -  real-world data (RWD / RWE), which make it possible to adjust the treatment prescribed for a patient, measure the effectiveness and safety of the use of drugs and medical devices, analyze the costs incurred for treatment, etc. In Russia, such a tool has not yet been implemented, therefore, it also seems important to develop the digitalization of healthcare, not only by building the capacity of existing tools, but also by introducing new ones.

By the way, from the moment he took office, Mikhail Murashko spoke about this, highlighting as priority measures the intensive development of digital services and systems and bringing the healthcare system to a new technological level, allowing the introduction of personalized medicine.

Of course, the state did not think about digitalization yesterday and is implementing state policy aimed at increasing the efficiency of the health care system by creating mechanisms for interaction between medical organizations and the introduction of digital technologies and platform solutions. For example, this is the aim of the federal project "Creation of a unified digital circuit in health care on the basis of a unified state information system in health care (EGISZ)". It is difficult to find a person who would not appreciate the convenience of using various medical systems. Moreover, metropolitan medicine is already being discussed all over the world. That is, at the moment we are experiencing digitalization on ourselves and in real time we are observing tectonic shifts that are taking place in the healthcare system.

We are well aware that such a rapid development of digitalization is accompanied by various difficulties: for example, now the expert community is discussing difficulties associated with the incompatibility of medical databases, validation and quality of collected data, lack of motivation and digital literacy among the medical community, etc. Therefore, it seems important and it is logical to strengthen the team by a person capable of solving such problems.

The impact of the pandemic has had a huge impact on the compulsory medical insurance system due to the colossally increased workload, because in addition to patients with COVID-19, patients with other diseases await the provision of planned medical care. I think that digitalization will help unload the CHI system, and its technological improvement by creating a digital circuit that will link together CHI funds, insurance companies, medical organizations and the patient, will ensure more stable operation of the system and become more comfortable for the patient.

Separately, I would like to note that the Ministry of Health adheres to a rather conservative policy, and we know that digitalization requires taking into account different opinions, so it seems important to establish a dialogue between the state, the expert community, business and citizens in order to find a "balance of interests" and accelerate the digitalization process. A possible solution could be the resumption of the work of the expert council of the Ministry of Health on the use of information and communication technologies in the health care system.

Of course, solving these problems requires deep knowledge both in the financial and social sectors, therefore, given the experience of Vladimir Zelensky in positions in the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health and the Moscow MHIF, it remains to hope for a systematic and strategic approach in solving the tasks and broadcasting the best capital practices. to the regions. I think that an ambitious leader with such an impressive background will "breathe" new life into the Ministry of Health and we will see positive shifts in the near future. I would like to wish him good luck in such a difficult direction in such a difficult time.

Sourse: https://rg.ru/2021/12/13/v-minzdrave-naznachili-pervogo-zama-otvetstvennogo-za-cifrovizaciiu-i-oms.html