The thematic session was organized by Renata Sabljar-Dračevac, President of the Committee for Health and Social Policy in the Croatian Parliament. Participants at the session included representatives of public institutions, hospitals, medical associations and the business community.

Technology shouldn't replace human contact in healthcare but should be a tool to improve the quality of healthcare for all patients, regardless of their socioeconomic status or geographic location. Equalizing the availability and quality of health care not only improves the individual and overall level of health, but also has beneficial effects on the wider economy. Good health, quick and effective treatment enable patients to live active and productive lives, said Andrea Doko Jelušić, AmCham's Executive Director.

Recommendations for the digital transformation of healthcare state that the results of the 2021 IQVIA research showed that Croatia does not have sufficiently developed digital healthcare solutions (a development rating of less than 2 on a scale of 5). Common elements of the countries with the highest level of digital maturity (Estonia, England, Sweden and Denmark) are widespread national genomics programs, progress in the decentralization of clinical research and the use of structured national health data for evidence-based health decisions. Based on best practices research, AmCham proposes a series of measures for improving the functioning of Croatia’s healthcare system, including the education of health workers for the application of digital technologies, utilization of EU funds for the digital transformation of healthcare, the implementation of appropriate pilot projects, active involvement of patients in treatment outcomes measurement, and drafting special legislation in order to ensure security, privacy and interoperability of the system. It is required to draft a comprehensive strategy that will enable the identification of all necessary actions for digitization of healthcare, include all strategically important stakeholders, and define and create databases that would facilitate the necessary transformation. Considering the current availability of EU funds intended for digitization, an increase in the quality of project planning and the efficiency of the usage of funds is needed, together with a closer cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the Croatian Health Insurance Fund, for successful implementation.

AmCham representatives included Andrea Doko Jelušić, Jurica Toth, Edita Šandrk Ivanković, Miroslav Šaban, Igor Lerman, Dražen Malbašić i Tomislav Vidović.