AseBio and the Ministry of Health analyze the challenges and opportunities of Artificial Intelligence in health data spaces

AseBio and the Ministry of Health organized the event "Challenges and Opportunities for Spain in the Application of AI in Health Data Spaces" on Wednesday, June 26th. This event brought together a large group of experts from leading national companies and organizations in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and healthcare. They thoroughly addressed the specific technical and functional challenges and opportunities related to the use of Artificial Intelligence in the healthcare sector.

"One of the challenges we face is directing the application of Artificial Intelligence to critical areas such as data management for the subsequent development of medicines and healthcare products. This is one of the objectives of this ministry because we cannot afford to fall behind in aligning technological developments with the health needs of the population and the healthcare system itself," stated Javier Padilla, Secretary of State for Health.

Crucial Moment for the Development of Health Data Spaces

In May 2022, the European Commission presented a proposal on the European Health Data Space with the mission of improving the use of these data for research, innovation, and policy-making, while also promoting greater control by European citizens over their own health data. At the end of last April, the European Parliament endorsed the creation of this European Health Data Space, which aims to improve European citizens' access to their personal health data through secure exchange.

This initiative enables patients to access their health data in electronic format from a member state other than their country of residence, and allows healthcare professionals to consult their patients' records with their consent, even from other countries within the European Union. It also establishes a framework for the proper secondary use of data to foster research and the development of products and services around these data.

The event is a step that responds to the crucial moment we are in for the development of health data spaces not only at the European level but also at the national and regional levels. These represent an opportunity to improve healthcare, data management, and significantly boost research into new treatments and devices, but they also present important technical challenges in their implementation.

"Today, in this session in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, we have come together to build. At AseBio, we believe we must address the challenges of Artificial Intelligence in health collectively. Collaboration between the public and private sectors is necessary to advance quickly, reach further, and improve our position as a country in health data spaces. To have an efficient impact on patient health and healthcare, we must build solutions together. Hopefully, we can repeat this event every year because it will signal that we are working in the same direction. Let's not lose the momentum," said Rocío Arroyo, president of AseBio and CEO of Amadix.

In this regard, although there are numerous successful and highly valuable social experiences in the use of Artificial Intelligence in the field of health, many of these are not widely known due to their specificity. For this reason, the event focused on sharing these experiences comprehensively and from a national perspective to avoid knowledge gaps that could hinder the effective use of public investment in this area.

"We are at a crucial moment for the transformation of the healthcare system. As a country, we have the will, experience, talent, and funding to lead the proper application of Artificial Intelligence in Health globally, from a human, animal, and environmental perspective. All that remains is for us to coordinate properly among all actors," concluded Jorge Tello, coordinator of the Artificial Intelligence and New Technologies Working Group of AseBio and Chief Strategy Officer of Savana.