Fundació TicSalut shows the world the activity in Catalonia in the area of health and technology at the second Health & Wellness congress

The event was a meeting place for experts from around the world to reflect on the present state of new health technologies; success cases were also presented and the existing barriers were analysed with a view to the full implementation of mHealth in the health systems. The focus of this second edition, however, lay on the application of mHealth in chronic disease and ageing.

Garcia Cuyàs took part along with Joan Cornet (Director of the mHealth Competence Centre of the Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation) and Giuseppe Busia, (Secretary General of the Italian Data Protection Authority) in the round table set up at the congress.

The barriers on the implementation of ICT in health, under discussion

This intervention was followed by different talks in which other success models were presented. The principal challenges that the ICTs have to achieve in the health sector, however, took the lead in the various discussions.

Patrice Slupowski, director of innovation of Orange and Patrice Cristofini, Huawei director in Europe, agreed that at the present time the regulation is a barrier on innovation. James Mault, director of Qualcomm Life, considered in this sense that one of the main hindrances on the implementation is the resistance from some doctors. “We have to show that it is possible to give better care and that the doctors can be part of this model”, he explained. He also stressed the intervention of the CEO of the same company, who talked about the paradox of the new devices being made by young and healthy people but the chronically sick and elderly not taking full advantage of them.

Aside from the regulation, the order of all the health devices and applications is also something to be borne in mind. This was believed by the majority of the speakers, who admitted that there was still a lot to be done in this area.

Jorgen Nordin, CEO of Jawbone, affirmed that “we have a large number of solutions and smart objects, but they are not connected together”. From myhealtapps.net, its directress, Dee O'Sullivan, said that it is not known for sure how many health apps there are because they are badly categorised.

It must also be added that the meeting attracted a particular attendance from China. Doctor Yan Jie Gao, Directress of the China Health IT Agency, and doctor Peter Chao and the director of the recently created China Connected Health Alliance, showed the opportunities for the players of mobile health in this market.

This meeting between the world of health and ICTs in Barcelona lasted until Wednesday 4 and was a clear sign of how the sector is moving, its principal actors and how the unity between them can help to break down the obstacles that new technologies are finding in definitively becoming an element for improving the health systems. The presence of Fundació TicSalut and the presentation of its experience show how Catalonia is internationally positioned as an outstanding player of the sector.