UNOPS and RECAINSA talk about digital health in Guatemala

The digital gap, the routes to bridge the gap, and current and future projects in digital health were some of the topics presented during the first joint webinar between the two organizations.

Guatemala, August 18, 2022. With presentations from representatives of the Central American Health Informatics Network (RECAINSA) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), on August 17, the first webinar entitled “Digital projects for health implemented by UNOPS Guatemala and its bidding processes” was held, between the two organizations. Its main objective was to publicize the digital work for health that UNOPS implements for the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS), as well as the different bidding processes and how to participate in them.

The activity, aimed mainly at professionals, technicians, companies, and organizations providing services and technologies in digital health, provided a brief introduction to the current situation in this area in Guatemala, through the presentation “Gaps in digital health in Guatemala”, given by RECAINSA’s Deputy Executive Director, Alejandro Benavides, in which the steps and routes proposed to reduce this gap were also known.

For her part, the portfolio manager of the UNOPS INFRAIGSS Program, Silvia Chouciño, presented the background of UNOPS and its work in Guatemala, as well as the INFRAIGSS Program (program to expand the health infrastructure and services implemented for the IGSS). In the framework of the Program, there is an IT Modernization component, to implement digital projects for health. They were released in detail by the INFRAIGSS Digital Health Specialist, Oscar Rodríguez, who also brought the participants closer to the next steps that will be taken, seeking to generate interest for participation in the upcoming bidding processes.

With this in mind, the presentations concluded with an intervention by UNOPS procurement specialist Elías Coto, who provided a concrete induction to UNOPS bidding processes, as well as a detailed tour of the platforms used for the participation of companies and suppliers.

In order to conclude the activity, which included nearly 40 professionals, companies, and organizations on digital health, all the doubts and comments that arose during the webinar were resolved.

For both UNOPS and RECAINSA, this activity represents the first joint step in this quest to promote, drive, and find solutions to accelerate the adoption of digital health strategies, through the exchange of experiences and good practices, as well as continue the dialog on the needs and contributions of digital and computer technology for the public health sector.