“It is an honour for the Belgian Association of Hospital Managers to welcome you to these three days for this important congress,” introduces EAHM Congress chairman, Danny Havenith as the 28th Congress of the European Association for Hospital Managers kicks off today in Ghent.
Speaking at the Official Inauguration at the Meet & Greet Center, Mr Havenith was then followed by welcome and keynote speeches from Prof. Dr. Eric Mortier, Dr. Paul Stoffels, Prof. Dr. Eugene Fidelis Soh, Pedro Facon and Philippe Blua.
Touching on the main themes; Big Data & Digital Health; Finance & Health Economics; Smart Buildings & Logistics; Health Management, Governance & Ethics; Innovation & Technology; and Healing Architecture; each speaker made it clear that innovation is the key driving force for this congress.
As stated in Belgian Ministry of Health Director, Pedro Facon’s speech, “if we want to innovate, we will have to differentiate and redesign models.” Mr Facon went on to emphasise that progressive innovation cannot be achieved without a united front from health officials and support from public authorities.
After the Official Inaugural welcoming, participants had an opportunity to meet the key welcome speakers before boarding a shuttle service to the first session of guided hospital tours and talks. Covering six hospitals over the course of the congress, participants had a choice of attending one of these institutions today:
- AZ GROENINGE KORTRIJK - BIG DATA & DIGITAL HEALTH
- The institute is located in the south of West Flanders, close to the French border and strives to place the patient at the centre of the care process.
- DELTA CHIREC BRUSSELS - FINANCE & HEALTH ECONOMICS
- The hospital is based around three hospital sites and is the first new hospital to be built in the Brussels region for no less than forty years. The new site has been designed to be hyper-functional for doctors and staff alike and facilities include 28 entirely digital operating theatres.
- AZ DELTA ROESELARE - SMART BUILDINGS & LOGISTICS
- It is the biggest hospital in West Flanders a new phase of construction is schedule to be complete by the end of 2019. In its new building, smart architecture and logistics are two aspects which the hospital has prioritised in.
- UZA ANTWERP - HEALTH MANAGEMENT, GOVERNANCE & ETHICS
- It is an academic centre and focuses on clinical scientific research, based on a large biobank. It is renown for its treatment of oncological and haematological complaints and cardiovascular diseases.
- AZ MARIA MIDDELARES GHENT - INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
- It is a very efficient hospital, innovative yet proud of its warm human face. The institute aims to broaden its horizon, breaking through the walls of its immediate environment.
- AZ ZENO KNOKKE -HEALING ARCHITECTURE
- This institute is very different from a traditional hospital in that it combines a green setting among the polders with a warm, optimistic interior, bolstering a feeling of well-being among the workers and helping patients to heal.
Tomorrow morning, participants can look forward to completing tours around the remaining hospitals on their agenda before making it back to the congress centre in the afternoon for academic sessions and workshops. On the social programme for tomorrow evening, the ‘Variété Variété’ event at Handelsbeurs Ghent promises an evening filled with live music, performances and a Belgian beer bar before the final day of the conference on 14th September.
Source: HealthManagement.org Live Coverage
Image Credit: HealthManagement.org
