HealthManagement, Volume 2 / Issue 2 2007
Berlin’s International Exhibition and Conference Centre (Messe Berlin) held a high level e-Health Conference as part of the e-Health Week (April 17-19).
A joint project of the European Commission, Germany’s Federal Health Ministry, the Berlin regional government and the Association for Social Security and Research (GVG), the conference had the theme: “From Strategies to Applications”, and sought to provide a forum for policymakers, health insurance organisations, service providers and users across Europe. The Conference also offered an opportunity for representatives of EU Member States and the European Economic Area to adopt a common Declaration on cross-border electronic health services sector in Europe. This covers six key issues:
î National and well-organised e-Health infrastructures are a pre-requisite for cross-border solutions
î European standardisation will open up market opportunities
î Existing national roadmaps must be taken into account
î Implementation of e-Health services require greater synergies with research and education
î Agreement on common standards by all EU Member States and stakeholder involvement is essential for the e-Health industry
In the words of Frans de Bruïne, Director at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Information Society and Media: “The 2007 e-Health Conference has deepened the co-operation among the Member States and all stakeholders. The Commission welcomes the Declaration on European cooperation in the field of Europe-wide electronic health services. The European Commission is supporting the first steps towards their concrete implementation by means of Large Scale Pilots”.
