Hlavinka emphasized the importance of adopting common standards for digital medicine, and said the Ministry of Health will use digital tenders to introduce IHE as that common standard. The first tenders requiring IHE standards should be issued in the coming weeks.

Hlavinka identified lack of qualified IT personnel (due to low salaries) and budgetary uncertainty (some funds previously dedicated to cybersecurity have been eliminated) as primary obstacles to further digitization.

Good practice in digitizing hospitals is to choose cooperative medical staff and digitize in small steps. Start with invoices, workflows, bind with orders and agreements, and by this you reach out to almost everyone. The staff that is enthusiastic about the new solutions inspires the others. Later, the hospital can focus on digitization of other areas, step by step. Positive mindset of hospital directors (as well as all other key stakeholders) towards digitization is a crucial factor.