Digital Health Enters Its Next Phase: Security, Data and Interoperability at the Forefront of IDIKA’s Event at the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair

The transition from standalone digital services to a unified, secure and interoperable health ecosystem was at the heart of the public event organised by IDIKA S.A. on Sunday, 6 September 2026, as part of the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair. The event, entitled “Secure Digital Health: Infrastructure, Data and Interoperability,” took place at the pavilion of the Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence and brought together representatives of the State, IDIKA, the National Cybersecurity Authority and the technology sector.

A common thread throughout the discussion was that significant progress has already been made in the digitalisation of healthcare. The next challenge, however, is more complex: ensuring that different systems, infrastructure and data can communicate with one another securely and reliably, while maintaining uninterrupted service delivery to citizens.

The Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, Dimitris Papastergiou, highlighted the significant progress made in a relatively short period of time, despite existing gaps in systems, infrastructure and, above all, a culture of collaboration. He made particular reference to IDIKA’s transformation and the expansion of its role, from its traditional focus on social security to an increasingly prominent role in digital health, supported by investments in human resources, expertise and modern infrastructure.

The discussion was moderated by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of IDIKA S.A., Ioannis Karagiannis, who framed the key question from the outset: not whether healthcare will become digital, but how the digital services already used every day by millions of citizens and thousands of healthcare professionals can form a unified and reliable ecosystem.

Electronic prescribing, e-appointments, MyHealth services, national prevention programmes and the Electronic National Health Record (AIFI) are already key components of this new reality. As Mr Karagiannis noted, the next phase rests on four critical pillars: resilient digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, effective use of data and interoperability. “IDIKA stands precisely at the point where these four dimensions converge,” he noted.

The CEO of IDIKA S.A., Niki Tsouma, emphasised what lies “behind” the services that citizens see and use: infrastructure, security and the effective interaction between different systems and organisations. She stressed that the end result depends on the coordination of all parties involved, ensuring that digital health services are of high quality, secure and reliable.

The discussion then turned to the critical technical and institutional prerequisites of the new digital environment.

Dimosthenis Anagnostopoulos, Secretary General for Information Systems and Digital Governance, linked interoperability to the concept of digital sovereignty, pointing out that a complex public digital service depends on numerous systems, organisations and infrastructures. Genuine resilience therefore requires every component of the chain to operate in a coordinated and secure manner.

Vasileios Karkatzounis, Special Secretary for Artificial Intelligence and Data Governance, focused on the value of health data. As he noted, the digitalisation of recent years has generated a substantial volume of data, which can contribute to greater transparency, better public services and new opportunities for research, innovation and the economy. He made particular reference to the potential for using these data -with full protection of personal data- for early diagnosis, the analysis of test results and the development of new treatments, as well as to the strategic importance of the European Health Data Space.

The other major challenge, cybersecurity, was addressed by the Governor of the National Cybersecurity Authority, Michalis Bletsas. He stressed that, in an environment of increasingly interconnected systems, security cannot be addressed in isolation: it depends on the entire chain of infrastructure, applications and data. At the same time, he noted that systems must not only be secure, but also functional and user-friendly for healthcare professionals.

Michail Michalopoulos, Head of the General Directorate of Digital Infrastructure at IDIKA S.A., referred to the continuous strengthening of the security, resilience and performance of the organisation’s information systems, with the aim of ensuring uninterrupted and reliable service delivery.

The importance of interoperability from the perspective of the technology sector was highlighted by Stelios Agapiou, representing Microsoft, who noted that every new application and project in the healthcare sector should be designed from the outset with the ability to connect and interoperate with other systems.

The discussion at the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair ultimately highlighted that the next step in digital health is not simply about developing more applications. It is about creating a unified ecosystem in which infrastructure, data and services operate under common rules, with a high level of cybersecurity and full protection of personal data.

IDIKA S.A. has a central role to play in this transition, connecting technology with the day-to-day operation of the healthcare system and translating digital progress into better, safer and more reliable services for citizens.