Algeria has announced the launch of a national digital platform designed to modernise and coordinate patient transfers between hospitals, as part of the country’s broader digital transformation agenda. The initiative was unveiled by Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Aït Messaoudene during a presentation to the Council of the Nation on December 11.
The platform will introduce a fully digital workflow for submitting, tracking, and validating hospital transfer requests, replacing the current fragmented and manual processes. A key feature of the system is the enforcement of a maximum 48-hour response time for urgent transfer cases, ensuring faster decision-making and improved continuity of care.
The digital system will automate multiple stages of the transfer process, including request registration, verification of medical criteria, file transmission, and monitoring of response deadlines. It will also support the activation of emergency protocols when required, particularly for critical cases.
To ensure seamless execution, the platform will be integrated with all medical transport services, including ground ambulances and air evacuation resources operated by the Civil Protection, Air Algérie, and, in extreme cases, the Algerian Air Force. The initiative is expected to significantly benefit remote regions, especially southern and High Plateaus provinces, where access to specialised medical services remains limited.
The transfer platform is a key component of Algeria’s 2030 digital strategy and complements ongoing health sector reforms, including the rollout of electronic medical records, expansion of telemedicine services, establishment of the National Agency for Health Digitalization, and adoption of national cloud infrastructure for health data.
