Ministry of Health

The State Secretariat for Health is the highest organ of the Department responsible for carrying out the functions relating to public health, inter-territorial coordination, high inspection, health planning, development and updating of the common service portfolio of the National Health System, management of the health professions and development and implementation of pharmaceutical policy, as well as the functions relating to public financing and pricing of medicines and health products and the development of the Ministry ' s policy on the coordination of transplant policy. Likewise, it is responsible for promoting health strategies, as well as relevant actions in the areas of food safety for human consumption, including nutrition and quality aspects with an impact on the health and safety of the food chain, all without prejudice to the competences attributed to the Ministry of Consumption and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It is also responsible for the development and fulfilment of the Department ' s responsibilities for the coordination and implementation of the National Drug Plan, particularly with regard to drug addiction and other addictions.

The General Secretariat of Digital Health, Information and Innovation of the National Health System is the governing body of the Department that is responsible for addressing the projects of modernization, innovation, improvement and transformation of the National Health System in light of the new challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular those related to digital health and information systems. Likewise, it is responsible for carrying out activities aimed at the transfer of innovation and advances in research to the National Health System, without prejudice to the competences attributed to the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the autonomous communities.

It is also responsible for the development of information systems, information management and identification of the protected population and access to clinical and therapeutic information.

It is also responsible for the control of health information, within the Department’s sphere of competence.

In addition, the General Secretariat of Digital Health, Information and Innovation of the National Health System will carry out the following functions:

1. Develop, process and promote technical and administrative documentation linked to projects with national and European funding carried out within the Ministry of Health.

2. Carry out regular monitoring and technical evaluation of the implementation of the projects referred to in the previous paragraph.

3. To facilitate the development and implementation of strategic lines on research and innovation in the health sector, aimed at incorporating improvements in the care of the patient population and in the organization and operation of the National Health System, in collaboration with other agencies and institutions involved, and in particular with the Carlos III Health Institute.

4. Carry out the necessary actions for the development and maintenance of the Health Information System of the National Health System defined in chapter V of Law 16/2003, of 28 May, on the cohesion and quality of the National Health System, ensuring its standardization, comparability, transparency and accessibility within the legal framework of personal data protection.

5. Develop and manage the statistical plan on health and the health system for state purposes, as well as those of supranational general interest and those arising from commitments to supranational and international organizations.

6. Prepare the Annual Report of the National Health System with a comprehensive approach to health and its protection and from the perspective of equity, quality and efficiency, as well as the periodic evaluation reports on the health situation, the functioning, performance, and results of the health system and its comparative analysis with other health systems, including the expectations and opinion of citizens and the results in the patient population.

7. Assume the functional management of the common services of the National Health System related to Protected Population and interoperability of the Digital Clinical History and Electronic Prescription, both nationally and internationally, as well as elaborate and maintain the general register of health centers, services and establishments.

8. To represent the Ministry of Health in the competent national and international bodies in the field of information, statistics and evaluation of the health sector.

9. To promote the diligent and ethical use of the data used in the National Health System, in collaboration with the autonomous communities and other agents involved, as well as to ensure its integrity and proceed to its dissemination, in the terms and conditions established by the applicable regulations.

10. Coordinate and supervise the data protection policy in compliance with the applicable regulations in this field within the scope of the competences of the Department.

11. To manage the technical secretariat of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System.

1. The management of the official, statutory and employment staff of the Department, the development of the employment relations, the preliminary draft of the offer of public employment and the employment plans, and the convening and resolution of the selective tests of the official and employment staff and the competitions of official staff of the Department and of its autonomous bodies; the training and promotion of the staff, social assistance and relations with the Board of Staff and with the Works Council, as well as the safety and health at work, and also the economic and control regime of the personnel expenses and the empowerment of the latter.
2. Preparation and processing of the Department ' s and its agencies ' preliminary draft budget, the Department ' s and the agencies ' respective budget changes, as well as the budget report and technical assistance and the functions entrusted to the budget offices.
3. The economic, financial and treasury management of the Department ' s budget appropriations; the allotment and payment functions; the processing of recruitment and other expenditure files not attributed to other organs of the Department, as well as the programming and prior accounting of budget appropriations.
4. The development of management in the Department of the internal regime, security, heritage, works and technical maintenance services, the equipment of the Units, as well as the planning and monitoring of the execution of contracts related to these matters.
5. The design, development and implementation of the computer applications of the Ministry and its agencies, ensuring their integration and homogeneity, including the Internet portals and the electronic headquarters; the provision and management of computer and communication equipment, both voice and data, in internal networks and the Internet; the management through continuous improvement and monitoring of the information security of the Ministry; the study, preparation and proposal of the supplies of computer material and equipment and of the services and technical assistance necessary for the exercise of the mandated functions.
6. The promotion of the use of new information and communication technologies by the bodies of the Ministry and its agencies, as well as their relations with citizens, which allows for electronic processing and the establishment of an electronic one-stop shop in the health environment.
7. The promotion of the use of new information and communication technologies in cooperation with other public administrations and international and supranational agencies; the elaboration, development and implementation of the information and communication technology action plan of the Ministry and its agencies, as well as the management of the resources allocated to its implementation.
8. The coordination and supervision of actions in the field of information and communication technologies carried out by the management bodies and agencies of the Department, including the processing of proposals in this field before the Ministerial Commission of Digital Administration.
9. The development of the communications network of the National Health System and the mechanisms for electronic exchange and interoperability of clinical and health information.
10. The functions that Law 19/2013, of 9 December, on transparency, access to public information and good governance, and its development provisions, attribute to the Information Units, within the scope of the Ministry of Health, as well as support in the coordination of initiatives in the field of open government within the scope of the Ministry.
11. The establishment and management of the information systems of the Ministry of Health aimed at citizens.
12. Attention to the citizens on the way of access to services, procedures, aids and subsidies within the competence of the Ministry of Health.
13. The execution and coordination of the Department’s institutional advertising campaigns, with the collaboration of the different Units proposing them.
14. The performance of informative and informative actions in matters specific to the Department, without prejudice to those expressly attributed to another body.
15. The execution and evaluation of the inspection programs of the services of the Department and of the entities of the institutional public sector that it has attached.
16. The proposal of simplification and rationalization of procedures, the carrying out of studies and proposals on the improvement of the organization.
17. The examination and proposal actions regulated by Royal Decree 799/2005, of 1 July, which regulates the inspections of services.
18. The exercise of the functions of the Equality Unit of the Ministry, as foreseen in article 77 of Organic Law 3/2007, of March 22, for the effective equality of women and men and in accordance with Royal Decree 259/2019, of April 12, which regulates the Equality Units of the General Administration of the State.
19. The coordination of the evaluations of the Department ' s public policies and, where appropriate, their implementation, as determined by the head of the Ministry, in accordance with the plan of public policy evaluations approved by the Council of Ministers, with the support of the Institute for the Evaluation of Public Policies of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Public Service.
20. The coordination and supervision of the data protection policy in compliance with the applicable regulations in this field within the scope of the competences of the Department.