Europe calls for further support in the use of new technologies in health.

The European Comission appealed, last Tuesday, all the EU members to encourage the introduction of eHealth services to guarantee a better and safer health care. This is also a way of reducing costs and, in a long term, of sustaining the health systems in Europe.

"Apart from the budget cuts, in the next 20 years the number of europeans aged 65 or more will raise about a 45%, according the forecast, from 85 millions in 2008 to 123 millions in 2030 and this will cause a huge impact in health, society and economy", the Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, declared during the opening of the ehealth conference, held in Budapest in may 10th - 12th.

The Commissioner for Digital Agenda considered "inacceptable" the lack of compromise of the governments in facilitating this kind of services to patients, "even if this means structural changes in health Sytems".

The Commissioner appealed the EU members to promote the use of new information and communication technologies (TIC) to boost diagnosis, prevention, treatment and innovative technological solutions based in telemedicine and remote monitoring systems. Hospital admissions would be reduced with the generalization of telemedicine.

News item published in "elmundo.es". If you want to read more, click here.