Munich/Tel Aviv (dpa/lby) - On the occasion of his visit to Israel, Bavaria's Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) called for a significant improvement in digitization in the German health care system. "We need a quantum leap," Holetschek told the German Press Agency on Thursday. Israel shows what is possible. Data protection should no longer be used as an excuse to prevent or delay digitization solutions in medicine, said Holetschek. A data usage law is needed as a basis, with which the common European health data space can be used.
During the corona pandemic, Israel very quickly realized that backing up data is necessary in order to be able to assess things more quickly. International networks are now being set up, and Germany is in danger of being left behind. "We're miles behind," said Holetschek. "I have a feeling we're not doing well there."
Holetschek returns from his three-day trip to Israel on Friday. Among other things, he met experts from the renowned Weizmann Institute of Science. On Thursday he laid a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in memory of the victims of National Socialism.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) had already visited Israel in September, among other things to get suggestions for digitization advances in the healthcare system there. Israel is considered a role model, especially when it comes to using digital treatment data to accelerate research findings and improve care.
