12-05-2025
‘Putting everyone's health record on their phone would save the HSE billions'
That's according to a vision to become a leading digital health nation set out by the health service's former digital transformation director and current Maynooth University Professor Martin Curley as he launched an initiative called Mission 10X at its Digital Health Summer School.
'This is a moonshot empowering every Irish citizen to manage and improve their health. We want your health to revolve around you and not around hospitals,' he said.
The school's launch saw demonstrations of a number of technologies, including AI-assisted smartwatches to monitor patients who are at risk and AI-assisted screening technology deployable in homes, pharmacies, primary care centres and GP practices..
'These innovations are low-risk, low-cost proven technologies that help detect disease early. It's a preventative approach, in contrast to the current one, where we spend the majority of the budget on treating sick patients in hospitals.
'The best way to predict the future is to innovate it. We have all the knowledge and technology to build and scale a world-class health and wellness system – one powered by open, intelligent technology and centred on patients, not paperwork.
'Deploying these nationwide could ultimately enable us to offer a full annual medical screening for about €100 per person. Early detection is better for the service, for patients and for health budgets.
'Mission 10X is fully aligned with Sláintecare, would cost €100m and is achievable in about five years, enabling the nation to 'leapfrog' current systemic and infrastructural obstacles,' he said.
Prof Curley's vision is in contrast to the HSE's current digital health approach centred on hospitals and regions.
Last year, its Digital Health Strategic Implementation Roadmap sought an increase in the HSE's annual IT budget to between €1bn and €1.4bn a year over seven years. Health sources say that hospital-based digital health records would cost between €2bn and €5bn to roll out nationwide.
'That would only see us largely get to where some other countries' health services were 20 years ago. But Mission 10X could also complement that plan,' Prof Curley said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ireland ranks last in European digital health rankings, but could become a global leader alongside countries such as Estonia, which has already adopted this approach, if our health service adopted 10 recommendations his vision is based on, Prof Curley said.
'We've had an increase to date of about 3.5pc in health productivity as the result of 50,000 more health workers and spending €8bn. This preventative approach would save anywhere between 10 and 100 times its comparatively low cost,' he added.
The first step towards this goal is a phased investment in a secure patient information network, or SPINE, at an initial cost of €10 million to study its feasibility, ahead of scaling to a €100 million nationwide deployment, he said.
Prof Curley, a former senior Intel executive who is now Director of Digital Health at the University's Innovation Value Institute, has already trialled the initiative with two senior HSE managers and 15,000 patients in Leinster, some of whom have complex health needs.
The trial also involved 1,000 patient queries that would otherwise have seen all of them visit their GP or local A&E. Out of those, our approach helped triage and guide people to establish that 30 actually needed to visit their GP, and six needed to go to A&E.
'If you multiply that small example on a nationwide scale, it could be transformational for health productivity, and in terms of the time and cost savings to both patients and health workers. It benefits everyone,' Prof Curley said.
His vision is supported by a range of clinicians and others concerned with and within the health system.
Dr John Sheehan, Clinical Director of Radiology at Blackrock Health, said: 'With a modest initial investment of €10m, Ireland can create a scalable digital health system, mirroring Estonia's successful model. This is a historical opportunity we cannot afford to miss.'
Stephen McMahon, head of the Irish Patients Association added: 'This is a revolutionary beacon of hope and healing for patients today and future generations. Mission 10X shows that together, we truly can transform healthcare.'
