It is headed up by Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who said European healthcare needs a “fundamental re-organisation” just to make use of current information technologies
“We know from a wide range of other services that information technology applications can radically revolutionise and improve the way we do things. We know as well, from innovative approaches already used around the EU, that many solutions to the impending crisis in healthcare already exist,” he said.
Read more: Europe needs new legal basis for health data, says eHealth Task Force
Neelie Kroes, the commissioner for the Digital Agenda, and John Dalli, the commissioner for health and consumer policy, said: “This report from the eHealth Task Force puts the spotlight on the importance of health data, health literacy and exchange of good practice on e-health”. They stressed that: “How we’ll manage data will be critical for the effectiveness of our health research, diagnostics and health care delivery. It will enable people to play a more central role in the management of their health”.
Read more: EU: E-health - Task force recommends legal framework
Nellie Kroes Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Digital Agenda Empowerment, said: "Longer lifespans are a triumph of medical science, and a testament to better living conditions. But they pose a challenge too: how do we keep those older people active, independent and fulfilled? How do we preserve affordable public healthcare? How do we cope with the emerging shortage of healthcare workers?
Read more: EC focuses on transformative potential of eHealth
The EU needs to bolster “inadequate” patient data security with eHealth legal frameworks, or risk playing catch up to the likes of Google and Facebook.
The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) as part of healthcare strategies is viewed as a way to offer affordable health treatments.
With ageing populations in the EU, the reliance on government healthcare is becoming strained, and the use of technology by patients is viewed as one way of relieving the pressure on health services.
Read more: EU urged to 'set the rules' on health data security
The move will save more than £80 billion (100 billion euros) from the £1.6 trillion (2 trillion euros) annual spend across the EU the EC says in a new report. According to the EC, organisations that have already implemented e-procurement save between 5% and 20% of their procurement costs.
E-procurement can also fuel economic growth, create jobs and make the tendering process more transparent, says the EC.
Read more: Europe sets 2016 deadline for all public sector purchases to go online