Health minister warns against rushed transfer of e-health system from Registrų centras

Lithuania’s health minister has warned against the hasty transfer of the national e-health system (e.sveikata) from the state-run Registrų centras to another institution under the Health Ministry, LRT reports.

Auristida Gerliakienė, a member of the Lithuanian Medical Association’s board, said the proposed move lacks preparation, impact assessment, and financial analysis.

“I see a risk in the attempt to transfer e.sveikata to the National Health Insurance Fund (Ligonių kasa) without proper preparation,” Gerliakienė told LRT radio. She argued that current issues, such as data security and system glitches, are unrelated to which institution oversees e.sveikata but stem from unresolved technical and structural problems.

Gerliakienė warned that the National Health Insurance Fund may prioritise administrative and financial control, potentially diverting funds from medical services to IT infrastructure and staffing. She estimated the transfer could cost around €40 million, funds currently allocated for additional healthcare services.

“This money was meant for supplementary services. Now, would we have to additionally finance the IT system from the Social Security and Labour Fund?” she asked.

She called for a national consensus not only on the future of e.sveikata but also on broader reforms, which she described as currently fragmented and poorly coordinated.

The Health Ministry and the Ministry of Economy and Innovation are evaluating whether to make the e-health system independent, taking over its administration from Registrų centras. Recent system disruptions followed large-scale updates in early November.