- Osakidetza thus joins the various Autonomous Communities that already have this service active for their patients, prescribing it on a regular basis under different contracting mechanisms: Andalusia, Castile-La Mancha, Castile and Leon, Valencia, Galicia and now, the Basque Country.
- Patients with severe neuromotor disorders, with severe affectation of both upper limbs and impossibility of oral or written communication, mainly with ALS, basilar artery thrombosis, infantile cerebral palsy, cranioencephalic trauma and pontine myelinolysis, will be able to benefit from 200 Irisbond gaze-controlled communication systems.
In 2019 the BOE approved that Social Security would finance 100% of the eye readers applied to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for those patients affected by physical or motor limitations that prevent them from communicating through their voice: ALS, cerebral palsy, among others. For almost three years, the Health Departments have been working and training health professionals to optimally offer assistive technologies for communication under medical prescription to those patients who require it.
With this new scenario and in order to help all patients who need it, Osakidetza-Basque Health Service has announced the award of the tender for the supply of the eye devices to IRISBOND, a pioneer company in eyetracking technologies and a reference in AAC, as the first bidder for 1.038M for 3 years, extendable to 5 years.
The Basque Health Service thus joins the various Autonomous Communities that already have this service active for their patients, prescribing healthcare on a regular basis under different contracting mechanisms: Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Valencia, Galicia and now the Basque Country. Two hundred gaze-controlled communication systems will be supplied to patients mainly with severe neuromotor disorders, with severe involvement of both upper limbs and inability to communicate orally or in writing, mainly patients with ALS, basilar artery thrombosis, infantile cerebral palsy, cranioencephalic trauma and pontine myelinolysis.
This system includes the eye reader, computer software, training and care for the patient and/or caregiver, as well as all installation and after-sales services. The eye readers allow the patient to control any device with his or her gaze. Combined with accessible programs for communication, the patient can express himself autonomously with his environment since, among other functionalities, he can speak through virtual keyboards and synthesized voice, surf the Internet, use his social networks or even learn to read and write. As a result, the person’s quality of life and self-esteem are significantly improved.
“Alternative and augmentative communication solutions such as eye readers are key to the freedom, autonomy and inclusiveness of users, they are a solution that allows them to lead a fuller social life despite the limitations of their condition, to the schooling of children without the need to resort to special schools. As a leading company in AAC, we are very pleased to be able to help and provide this technology and care service to patients assigned to Osakidetza,” says Eduardo Jáuregui, founder of IRISBOND. “We will work closely with the Basque Health Service, medical professionals, patients and caregivers to continue promoting the right to communication for everyone. Our main driving force is to work on technology with purpose. What we do has social impact on many levels and we are proud of it,” adds Jáuregui.
Basque eyetracking technology solutions and global referents in the promotion of the right to communication of any person.
The Basque company IRISBOND, co-founded by Eduardo Jáuregui together with the Vicomtech technology center, has been working since its foundation 10 years ago in collaboration with companies, medical teams and Health Departments to continue promoting the right to communication of any person.
In addition, since the beginning they have been an active part of the approval process for the National Health System to subsidize 100% of the eye tracking devices, together with the main ALS associations in Spain, providing increasingly innovative and accurate solutions in order to meet the demands of an increasingly demanding market.
