SEVILLE, June 11 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs of the Government of Andalusia, Catalina García, and the Minister of University, Research and Innovation, José Carlos Gómez Villamandos, participated this Tuesday in the inauguration of the ‘CPISalud Space’, a meeting that brings together more than 600 experts in the health field. In it, García has highlighted the “exponential” progress of Andalusia in the management of Public Procurement of Innovation (CPI) in health, which, in its first decade, from 2012 to 2022, represented 18 million euros and only in the last two years, 2023 and 2024, has reached 35 million euros.
“We are talking about an annual average of 1.7 million between 2012 and 2022, and an average of 17.5 million in the last two years. That is, 930% more. In total, he added, in Andalusia 53 million euros have been managed in this matter since 2012.” The ‘Espacio CPI Salud’ event, organized to promote the transformation of public health systems through innovation and CPI, is presented in the city of Seville as a key event for the sector.
Co-organized by the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs, the Progreso y Salud Foundation (FPS), the Andalusian Health Service, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and University and the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI), it offers “an opportunity unique” for collaboration between clinicians, patient associations, research personnel, industry and other innovative agents, with the purpose of improving the provision of health services to citizens, the Board has highlighted in a press release.
Catalina García, who was also accompanied by the general secretary of Innovation of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, Teresa Riesgo, and the general director of the CDTI, José Moisés Martín, showed during the inauguration her “pride” that Andalusia is a “reference national and European” in the use of the ICC. In addition to currently coordinating the largest European CPI consortium, called ‘Procure4Healt’, the head of Health and Consumer Affairs has also explained that the autonomous community, through the FPS, has a CPI Program awarded with one of the 2023 awards. of the European Innovation Council: the CPI Technical Office that works under a unique model in Europe “and with a powerful disruptive needs detection tool that has become the model of the Early Demand Map of Andalusia.”
In fact, during the two days of the meeting, Preliminary Market Consultations regarding these needs will be carried out. This is a project developed during 2023 in which nearly 500 people have participated, and which has resulted in the identification of 33 needs of the Andalusian Public Health System (SSPA). “Andalusia is a benchmark, and this is a sign of the Andalusian Government’s commitment to positioning it as a model to follow. Implementing the use of the ICC as a strategic instrument allows the modernization of public administrations and the improvement of public health services. This guides excellence, which undoubtedly contributes to improving quality in the provision of patient care,” he noted, while pointing out that the public health system of Andalusia has positioned itself as “the spearhead of the sector”.
Along these lines, he explained that this meeting “will promote innovative strategic markets that promote competitiveness, improve the impact on R&D&I indicators, as well as those that support and reinforce the economic and business fabric of the region; in addition to efficiency in the management of public resources, applying new international models and consolidated good practices”. The counselor explained that the health sector is “in continuous development” and raises “milestones and innovations” that allow different administrations and companies to interact, “with the ultimate goal of reaching the patient, providing innovative instruments to professionals.”
In this sense, he recalled that by 2024, the health budgets of the Regional Government of Andalusia will total 400 million more than the previous year and 45% more than the total compared to 2018. “The public purchase of innovation diagnoses, analyzes and treats. It aims to promote and generate the development of innovative solutions from the demand side, through the instrument of public procurement. Therefore, anticipating the needs of the health system is a good example of its own strength, because it listens to managers and professionals. to generate solutions with which to provide quality healthcare,” he said, while recalling that this is another example that “in medicine we work for the prevention and promotion of health.”
For his part, José Carlos Gómez Villamandos has stressed that the obligation of every Administration is “the constant improvement of public services and, in that objective, the Public Purchase of Innovation becomes an ideal instrument by offering useful answers in a multitude of fields: from health to mobility, through emergency management or environmental improvement”. In his opinion, this tool represents, therefore, “an optimal public-private collaboration response to the growing demand experienced around the improvement of citizen services and will contribute to strengthening R&D&I, promoting business competitiveness.” and promoting public support programs”.
Gómez Villamandos has highlighted that the CPI represents an investment of around 85 million euros in Andalusia, coordinated by the University Department and focused mainly on the sectors of health, the environment, the aerospace sector, city management smart or mobility. The head of the University has stated that the Board will continue to support the CPI because “it implies betting on greater efficiency in the use of public funds and public-private collaboration, providing a clear improvement in the competitiveness of any territory and the sustainability of the regional economy based increasingly on innovation”.
Between this Tuesday and next Wednesday, ‘Espacio CPISalud’ will have a program of activities that will serve to learn, share and connect around the Public Procurement of Innovation in Health. The agenda includes a wide range of talks, conferences and round tables. More than thirty speakers, including a broad representation of state and regional institutions, as well as business and research, will share their knowledge with attendees.
Also participating in the event will be those responsible for the regional Health systems, including the managing director of the Andalusian Health Service (SAS), Valle García; the managing director of the Galician Health Service, José Ramón Parada, or the director of Research and Innovation of the Ministry of Health of the Generalitat Valenciana, Mariola Penadés. The CPI aims to promote and generate the development of innovative solutions from the demand side, through the instrument of public procurement, hence its importance in terms of anticipating needs that the health system itself may have, listening to managers and professionals to generate solutions to improve the quality of care.