Information systems and digital technology have been essential to the continuation of work, education, and healthcare throughout 2020. While Argentina had a good foundation for telehealth services from years of public investment in telehealth since 2007,[1] PAHO/WHO Argentina supported several noteworthy developments in telehealth during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Developing & integrating TELECOVID

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been extremely taxing on health systems across the world, PAHO mobilized existing resources and leveraged Argentina’s robust telehealth infrastructure. With PAHO’s close working relationship with the Ministry of Health built from the long history of collaboration (including the development of the Federal Network of Telehealth and Distance Communication), PAHO swiftly stepped in, to support the launch of TELECOVID. PAHO contracted and worked with the developer, systems engineer, and consultants to develop and integrate the new TELECOVID program into the TELESALUD platform.

TELECOVID has allowed suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients to easily arrange clinical care through the centralized platform that refers the patient to the appropriate health facility and book teleconsultations for monitoring and care. In particular, it has provided crucial primary healthcare services to vulnerable populations so as to ‘leave no one behind’ (such as populations 65 years of age or older, chronically ill, or immunosuppressed). In 2020, there were 120,000 consultations facilitated on TELESALUD (a sixfold increase from 2019) and 80,000 of those were conducted since the beginning of the pandemic; 54% were accessed by women, 7.6% were for children under 1 year of age, and 5.7% for individuals over 60 years of age, and 70% by people living with chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCD), who are particularly vulnerable to adverse COVID-19 outcomes.

Expansion of TELESALUD

The Federal Telehealth Network experienced an immense expansion in 2020, from 320 to 810 institutions. The primary healthcare facilities registered increased from 40 to 399. This expansion was particularly important as it provided increased healthcare access for rural and some of the most vulnerable populations, with 30% of the facilities located in rural areas. However, this also meant an added layer of complexity, pertaining to an increase in the variation in maturity and capacity for telehealth across the provinces. How could the national government effectively and efficiently support the wide range of facilities across these provinces? A thorough evaluation to assess the existing strengths and gaps was needed to inform the decision-making processes. The PAHO Assessment Tool filled this need.

PAHO Assessment Tool for Institutional Maturity for Telehealth

PAHO/WHO played a key role in the adaptation and administration of the assessment tool for gauging the institutional maturity for telehealth in Argentina. During the COVID-19 pandemic, PAHO partnered with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), to develop a survey-based evaluation tool to determine the preparedness levels of numerous aspects of the capacity to execute a telehealth program in the Region. Although Argentina’s telehealth network was among the most advanced in the Region, the Ministry of Health wanted to pinpoint gaps and understand the differing institutional capacities and maturity of each province. Therefore, PAHO/WHO Argentina supported the adaptation of the tool to the Argentinian context through workshops, reworking the terminology and questions to be contextually relevant, and with technical experts to analyse the data collected from 547 different public health institutions from 23 provinces and Buenos Aires. The resulting report detailed the implementation status of TELESALUD and TELECOVID and the maturity for telehealth levels of each province. These results enabled an efficient allocation of resources, as the Federal Government supported provinces with lower maturity ratings in the areas specified in the report.  For example, one province lacked the necessary equipment, so computers were supplied to increase capacity.

PAHO/WHO Argentina’s efforts to help strengthen telehealth services illustrate the exemplary use of technology and innovative tools to protect the population from epidemics and to strengthen the country’s capacity in data and information systems. The effective mobilization of digital platforms and existing telehealth regulations, expertise, processes, and infrastructure has bridged the gap between healthcare professionals and clients caused by COVID-19-related physical distancing and lockdown measures. In fact, not only have PAHO/WHO Argentina’s efforts improved access to quality and essential primary healthcare services in Argentina, their expertise and leadership in telehealth extends beyond national borders. PAHO/WHO Argentina is facilitating South-South cooperation in the Region, working with PAHO/WHO Country Offices in the Americas for telehealth preparedness and implementation.