The discussion provided a comprehensive view of why and how NCZI should operate, what its immediate priorities are, and what the forthcoming regulation on the European Health Data Space (EHS) will bring. It also addressed the security of sensitive data, the stability of the institution, and where we stand compared with other countries.
Why NCZI and why stability is important
There is no universal model for governing e‑health: in some countries, part of the agenda sits directly with the ministry, elsewhere it is overseen by a dedicated institution. The key point is that health data are extremely sensitive and require not only digitization but, above all, strict protection to prevent leaks and ensure they are properly safeguarded. For this reason, it makes sense for NCZI, as a specialized entity, to maintain e‑health and its security.
The operation of state organizations, including NCZI, is weakened by frequent changes in leadership, which disrupt continuity, strategic priorities, and teams’ know‑how. Another brake is the lengthy and complicated public procurement processes. The result is that even clearly necessary modernization steps take longer than practice would require.
Immediate priorities: infrastructure, security, and standards
The first priority is remediation and modernization of the e‑health infrastructure so that systems are more reliable, more secure, and ready for new European requirements. The discussion noted that the core of security is also the e‑health architecture: administrative and clinical data are separated, which makes them harder to misuse in the event of an attack. The technical details of protection are a matter for cybersecurity specialists, but the principle of data separation is fundamental.
eLab is also moving forward in practice: the service is already deployed in production; it is now up to laboratories and suppliers of hospital and outpatient systems to implement it in their solutions. NCZI’s role is to provide central services and interfaces, not to create user screens in clinics. The key to the usability of lab data is unification on a single standard so that they are comparable and reusable across providers.
European Health Data Space: what it will bring and when
The EHS regulation is to be approved at the EU level and will take effect two years after publication in the Official Journal; transitional periods for individual services will then apply. It is built on three pillars: primary use of data (the patient and the doctor have access to documentation throughout the EU), secondary use (science, research, policymaking), and uniform rules for information systems. In practical terms, this means a unified format for exchanging health records, thanks to which a doctor abroad can securely and clearly view, for example, your patient summary or e‑prescription.
For citizens, the benefit is clear: simpler and secure access to their own documentation and continuity of care even across borders, for example dispensing a medicine by active substance. Slovakia has an advantage in already operating centralized e‑health, which will facilitate harmonization and connection to European data flows. However, it will be necessary to supplement legislation, define responsibilities (e.g., the national contact point), and systematically align technical and semantic standards. At the same time, NCZI indicates a willingness to publish data, but with a clear purpose and without excessive administrative burden for practitioners.
