On 24 September 2025, the DIGIVITALITY project organised a national workshop in Budapest under the title “How to improve access to digital health technologies in the Hungarian healthcare system.” The event, hosted at the EIT Health InnoStars headquarters, gathered representatives from Semmelweis University, EIT Health, and DEX Innovation Centre, alongside other healthcare innovators.
After opening remarks by Gergely Németh (Semmelweis University), Tina Kubalík (DEX Innovation Centre) presented the DIGIVITALITY project, highlighting its dual focus: supporting the market entry of digital health innovations and promoting public financing frameworks for such solutions.
Experts Ádám Lukács and Urška Bux (EIT Health) presented existing European models for reimbursement of digital health technologies, including Germany’s DiGA scheme, Belgium’s mHealth Pyramid, and France’s PECAN initiative. These examples served as valuable inspiration for the Hungarian context.
In the main discussion, participants identified five key barriers hindering the broader use and financing of digital health tools in Hungary:
- Lack of clear pathways for public funding,
- Absence of a reimbursement scheme,
- Insufficient HTA (Health Technology Assessment) guidance,
- Limited interoperability and data integration,
- Weak institutional leadership.
Participants called for clearer national and EU-level funding guidelines, harmonised standards, and more transparent HTA processes. They also emphasised the need to enhance interoperability within the Hungarian e-health infrastructure and strengthen leadership in digital health governance.
The workshop concluded with an announcement that DIGIVITALITY will initiate a memorandum of understanding among stakeholders to sustain the dialogue and continue collective efforts toward improving patient access to digital health technologies in Hungary.