Technology is thriving in the Czech Republic. We have quality technical universities, and very successful technology companies known all over the world have been established in the Czech Republic - Avast, Seznam or Satoshi Labs. And yet we see these cases...
The hooded man in his 40s explains that he came to the Job Centre in September, when he was advised to apply for housing benefit online. And he's been waiting ever since. "My gas and utilities have gone up by two and a half thousand crowns since January. Now I have to pay six and a half thousand," the man says, so he decided to go to the office right after the New Year to ask what was happening with his application.
Zuzana, a single mother, explains that she was only informed that her application for benefits was being processed by a "methodologist". However, she does not understand whether there is anything to prove or whether the benefit is approved or when it will be paid.
"I tried the online application and I didn't hear back."
"Next appointment in 5 months," is often the answer to parents seeking acute child psychiatric help. Recent breakthroughs in telemedicine could solve a long-standing problem in Czech healthcare thanks to digital technology. But the vast majority of our child psychiatrists are seniors who do not know, understand or even fear technology.
"Even if psychiatrists are younger and digitally literate, the introduction of telemedicine is accompanied by a lot of confusion and we will have to wait a long time for it."
The SAO also points out that the Ministry of Health did not incorporate the newly created information support into the Czech Pandemic Plan or the Ministry's information concept. Thus, there is a real possibility that, despite the money spent, the Smart Quarantine service system will not be used in future epidemics.
"Now we need to focus on making sure that the money spent is not wasted and that the infrastructure created continues to work. It would be a big mistake if in time the state would get into a similar situation as now and we would find out that things are not ready again and we are back to square one," said SAO President Miloslav Kala.
"CZK 387 million was spent on a smart quarantine system that did not work."
Obsolescence in digital technology has a negative impact on society as a whole. The increasing digital divide causes social problems, reduces the competitiveness of companies, and hinders the progress of the state apparatus.
The incomprehensibility of processes in the public sphere and the lack of use of digital technologies slows down society as a whole.
If we don't do something about it, we will continue to fall further behind.
We were told we were naive. But we've been proving for years that change is possible. Step by step, we are patiently teaching nonprofits and government how to use digital technology.
At the core of the community are 6000+ expert volunteers. They bring to the community what is most valuable - their time and also their expertise, typically in the areas of software development, product design or project management. Thanks to their connection in the community, public benefit solutions in the form of open source digital products are created.
Information about government measures in a pandemic clearly in one place for the citizens of the Czech Republic.
Impact: 250 000+ people visited the portal in the first 48 hours of its operation
A community map of the drapes that made a key protective tool available at a critical moment in the covid-19 pandemic.
Impact: 600,000+ drapes passed thanks to the online community map
The information signpost, which was created almost over the weekend, offered dozens of instructions on how to offer or receive help.
Impact: nearly 800,000 people visited the signpost within 3 days of the outbreak of war
Within 3 days of the outbreak of war, the app offered a solution to facilitate communication between Czechs and Ukrainians.
Impact: 12,000+ users have already downloaded the mobile app
We found a way to move our entire company forward. Be there with us and support us. We've been demonstrating for 4 years how digital can help, we've created an automated ecosystem of public sector expert support and with your support we'll be able to accelerate it. We have a detailed systems change plan to solve the problem for the long term. We'd love to meet with you to discuss how we can work together.
Looking for something you didn't find here? We would be happy to give you an overview of our organisation, its operations and plans.
Jan Kotara runs Česko.Digital and will be the best person to answer your questions. Make an appointment.
Contact us and we will discuss how to best use your resources and capacities to change the Czech Republic for the better.
