‘Want Digitalisation to Succeed? Start with Digital Skills’, says Jaromír Hanzal on Czech Radio
‘Want Digitalisation to Succeed? Start with Digital Skills’, says Jaromír Hanzal on Czech Radio
In a recent interview on the morning broadcast of Czech Radio, the director of AAVIT, Jaromír Hanzal, spoke about the current state of digitalization in the Czech Republic and the challenges the country faces. The discussion revolved around current problems and opportunities, how digital transformation can make the state administration and the whole process of IT systems development more efficient.
What is the state of digitalisation in the Czech Republic – did it start badly or is it not removing errors fast enough?
According to Hanzal, the problem is not the intention of digitisation itself, but the speed and efficiency of its implementation. “The intention of digitisation is good. At AAVIT, we like to assess systems based on hard data rather than emotion. And if you allow me, I will share with you the three key parameters by which we judge it.
The first is process transformation, which should have happened 15 years ago. Fortunately, it is happening at least now. Centralisation allows processes to be managed and evaluated by data, which is a positive step forward and should save time in management in the future. However, we are still facing problems, for example in user support, where the Czech Republic remains at the tail end of the European Union according to the DESI index,” Hanzal describes the situation.
This long-term underdevelopment in areas that are key to effective digitalisation is a persistent problem, according to Hanzal. Although centralisation and the setting up of better data tools have been implemented, user issues and support have not improved significantly, which negatively affects public attitudes and the overall efficiency of the system.
Are we just transferring paper processes to the computer?
“It’s a risk that needs to be eliminated,” says Hanzal. Another critical issue is the limited number of software architects, which are essential for designing and implementing complex digital systems. “Without quality software architects, a position that is very unavailable even in the private sector, let alone the state sector, we will not move forward,” he adds.
Another challenge is digital skills. “As part of our IT Fitness Test activity, we are trying to address this issue, but lack of training for staff is a general problem. There is a lack of development of digital competencies, not just in the civil service but across the economy. And if workers are not sufficiently trained, they tend to protest against change,” Hanzal points out, adding that the lack of digital competences threatens the Czech Republic’s competitiveness.
Does it make sense to return to the old systems?
Returning to the old system might be popular in the short term but ineffective in the long term. According to Hanzal, it could further hamper the Czech Republic’s long-term efforts to modernise its processes.
“From an IT point of view, it doesn’t make sense. We also have to remember that construction management has never worked well. In the latest edition of the Doing Business index, we ranked 157th, behind the West Bank and Ivory Coast. This process took a long time, which is why investors did not come to us. The social consensus was that change was necessary,” explains Hanzal.
How to attract more IT professionals to the state administration?
The state can offer IT professionals the opportunity to work on large and complex projects that differ in scope from those in the private sector. “Attracting and retaining capable IT professionals is a major challenge for the state administration. Thanks to funding from the National Recovery Plan, we have been able to increase the salaries of IT specialists in the state administration in the short term. But in the long term, the state will have to address how to retain these professionals. Motivation for them may be the social contribution and contribution to the digitalisation of the state administration. It is interesting for IT specialists to work on more robust systems than the private sector offers,” Hanzal said.
How can authorities learn from the digitalisation of construction proceedings?
The most important thing, according to Hanzal, is that the public does not perceive digitalisation as a problem and a threat. Digitisation is a process that needs to be developed on as many fronts as possible. He cites the healthcare sector as an example. “We are almost the worst in the whole EU in terms of accessibility of health data for patients. The digitisation of healthcare is delayed in our country, mainly because of the high demands on the security of sensitive data. Users are also often not in favour of digitisation, for example, there have been many protests about e-prescriptions. But today we can see that e-prescriptions have saved people a lot of time. We calculated that the digitisation of medical records could save CZK 1.5 billion a year. The return on such investments is very fast in healthcare,” concludes Hanzal.
How can authorities learn from the digitalisation of construction proceedings?
The most important thing, according to Hanzal, is that the public does not perceive digitalisation as a problem and a threat. Digitisation is a process that needs to be developed on as many fronts as possible. He cites the healthcare sector as an example. “We are almost the worst in the whole EU in terms of accessibility of health data for patients. The digitisation of healthcare is delayed in our country, mainly because of the high demands on the security of sensitive data. Users are also often not in favour of digitisation, for example, there have been many protests about e-prescriptions. But today we can see that e-prescriptions have saved people a lot of time. We calculated that the digitisation of medical records could save CZK 1.5 billion a year. The return on such investments is very fast in healthcare,” concludes Hanzal.
