Minister of Health: Creating directorates for digitization in health institutions – New Algeria

Today, Sunday, at the National Institute for Higher Para-Medical Training in the capital, the Minister of Health, Professor Mohamed Siddiq Ait Messaoudane, supervised the opening of the work of the national training week dedicated to the subject of cybersecurity and the protection of personal data in the health sector.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Health, this opening took place in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of National Defence, the National Authority for the Protection of Personal Data, and the Center for Research in Scientific and Technical Information (CERIST) through its PROXYLAN branch, in addition to Ministry of Health executives and automated media engineers working in health institutions across the various states of the country.

In his opening speech, the Minister of Health stressed that the issue of cybersecurity and the protection of health data falls within the strategic priorities of the Algerian state, especially in light of the comprehensive digital transformation that the health sector is witnessing, stressing that the increasing reliance on information systems and digital platforms has become an inevitable necessity to improve the quality of health services and enhance the quality of patient care.

The Minister of Health pointed out that this digital transformation, despite the gains it achieves, imposes great challenges, the most important of which is ensuring information security and protecting health data of a personal nature, as it is among the most sensitive data and is related to individuals’ basic rights and freedoms.

In this context, the Minister explained that the Ministry of Health is working, in line with the National Cybersecurity Strategy and the directives of the country’s higher authorities, to integrate the security and legal dimensions into all digitization projects, and to establish a culture of data protection within health institutions, through training, awareness-raising, and human capacity building.

The Minister also added that organizing this training week falls within the framework of enhancing compliance with national legislation related to the establishment and operation of health information systems, and strengthening institutional coordination with the National Authority for the Protection of Personal Data, in a way that enshrines the principles of health data governance.

The Minister stressed that this demonstration reflects the Ministry’s will to invest in the human resource, qualify young talent, and enhance its awareness of the professional and legal responsibilities associated with the use of digital systems and health data.

In the same context, the Minister of Health praised the contribution of institutional partners, led by the Ministry of National Defense, the National Authority for the Protection of Personal Data, and the Center for Scientific and Technological Research, praising this cooperation, which reflects the integration of visions and coordination of efforts in the service of national digital security and the protection of information sovereignty, wishing the participants success in the work of this training week.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Minister of Health reiterated that the digitization of the health sector is one of the priorities of sectoral work and national strategies, as it is a fundamental pillar for improving governance, raising the efficiency of performance, and enhancing the quality of health services provided to citizens.

In this regard, he expressed his full confidence in the national competencies and technical frameworks, stressing that the success of the digitization process in the health sector remains dependent on their effective involvement and professional commitment. Pointing out the Ministry’s keenness to accompany these efforts by stimulating, valuing the initiatives and efforts made, and gradually working to create specialized organizational structures, similar to digitization directorates at the level of health institutions, to ensure the sustainability of digital transformation and the achievement of the goals set in this vital field.