Romania’s new medical eSănătateaMea platform facing access problems, government promises fix
The Romanian government announced that it has increased the number of staff handling account validations on the e-Sănătatea mea platform, the country’s new medical platform intended to serve as the central point of interactions between patients and the healthcare system.
In the first days since the platform was brought online, on September 1, users who tried to log in encountered serious operational problems, right from the first steps of accessing the platform. Several others reported that the platform was inaccessible.
To fix the issues, the executive increased the team of experts validating the digital identities of patients. “At present, approximately 25,000 requests for validation of digital identities are pending, amid an average flow of approximately 10,000 new requests per day. To rapidly reduce the backlog, the Authority for the Digitalization of Romania currently has 40 people trained for validation,” the government said in a press release.
The government promised that the problem will be resolved within a week, following the temporary addition of 19 staff members. Previously, 40 people were responsible for this task. “The validation process involves rigorous checks to prevent attempts at fraud, impersonation or alteration of identity,” the government further said.
The government also recommended that users install the latest version of the platform, while other enrollment solutions have already been identified for optimal operation and are to be implemented.
The new portal, integrated into the IT Platform of the Social Health Insurance System, is administered by Romania's National Health Insurance House (CNAS). The development of the portal aims to simplify the circulation of medical documents, reduce administrative burdens, and facilitate patients' access to the information they need. Through the platform, insured persons will be able to securely consult data and documents recorded in the public health insurance system.
Importantly, registration with “eSănătateaMea” will not be mandatory. People who do not use a smartphone, do not have internet access, or do not wish to use the portal will continue to be able to interact with the healthcare system through the usual procedures, according to CNAS management.
The “eSănătateaMea” is also designed to work in sync with the new electronic identity card. The latter will serve as the national social health insurance card, replacing it in the end.
(Photo source: Sergey Tinyakov|Dreamstime.com)
