Strengthening the Digital Health Agenda in the Province of Buenos Aires

The development objective of the Strengthening the Digital Health Agenda in the Province of Buenos Aires Project for Argentina is to increase access to health services and improve coordination and continuity of care in the public healthcare (PHC) network of the Province of Buenos Aires. The project comprises of three components. The first component, strengthening the implementation of electronic medical records (EMRs) and integrated health records (IHRs) will improve integration, coordination, and continuity of care. It consists of following sub-components: (i) adopting IHR in public health facilities of municipalities and provincial hospitals; (ii) promoting interoperability across health information systems of municipalities; and (iii) expanding IHR functionalities. The second component, developing and implementing virtual tools for health provision and communication will finance telemedicine solutions aimed at improving access to services, particularly under situations that can pose higher risks to patients in commuting to a health care facility, for example under heatwaves, floodings, and pandemics. It consists of following sub-components: (i) enabling a chatbot and implementing a virtual healthcare center; and (ii) implementing a virtual network of PHC facilities with hospital specialists. The third component, project management will support the strengthening of the Executing Agency and Sub-executing Agency in everything related to their functions for implementing the project.