The VZP, the country's biggest health insurer whose board of managers comprises 10 representatives of the government and 20 representatives of parties in parliament, invested 1.8 billion crowns in the IZIP project in the past decade.
Heger's spokesman Vlastimil Srsen said an assessment of the project's hitherto results has shown that the IZIP does not work effectively. That is why the ministry has decided "not to protract the agony," he said.
Necas and Heger will ask the VZP board to decide on winding up the IZIP in the weeks to come. In this connection, Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS) will appeal to the ODS members on the VZP board, and Heger (TOP 09) will turn to those representing the state and the junior ruling TOP 09, Srsen said.
IZIP spokeswoman Martina Klapalova told CTK that IZIP managers would not comment on statements made by Heger.
"We will wait to see the reaction of the VZP, which is our partner. The project continues unchanged. The number of records in patients' e-files has already crossed 200 million," Klapalova said.
Heger said he is sorry at the project, which seemed so hopeful ten years ago and which cost taxpayers so large a sum of money, has been a failure. He said he believes that an e-records system will be indispensable and contributive to the health care in the future, but it must be effective for both patients and insurers, and also from the financial point of view.
The goal of the system of e-health records, run by the IZIP company, was to enable doctors to share information about the treatment received by individual patients and to facilitate communication between doctors and patients.
The project has been subsidised by the VZP and available for free only to VZP clients.
The IZIP firm, now a joint stock company, was established in 2001 by the then ODS deputies Milan Cabrnoch and Miroslav Ouzky (who are both European Parliament members now), along with doctor Pavel Hronek.
The IZIP has been criticised mainly for its high price and the way of financing. The critics say the project does not work because doctors do not use it.
Necas and Heger's agreement on having the IZIP scrapped was welcomed by Czech Doctors' Chamber President Milan Kubek on Thursday.
Two billion crowns have been wasted on the project, which has brought no effect, Kubek said.
The VZP owns 51 percent of IZIP shares. For crucial decisions in the company, consent of two-thirds of shareholders is required, however. According to the latest information, the remaining 49 percent of shares are held by an unknown Swiss company eHI eHealth International, to which the project's founders, Cabrnoch and Ouzky, had transferred their shares.
($1=19.498 crowns)
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Quelle/Source: Prague Daily Monitor, 14.05.2012
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