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EHMA Overview on the Estonian EU Presidency
19 July 2017
Introduction
On 1st July 2017, Estonia assumed for the first time the Presidency of the EU Council. Estonia is the first country of the new EU Presidency ‘trio’, completed by Bulgaria and Austria, the two Member States that will lead the EU Council in 2018.
Based on the motto ‘Unity through balance’, the six months Estonian Presidency programme will be focused on four key priorities, addressing the current main issues at European level:
- An Open and innovative European economy
- A safe and secure Europe
- A digital Europe and the free movement of data
- An inclusive and sustainable Europe
Discover more about the four priorities with this video summary:
The Estonian Presidency and Healthcare
Despite not having been identified as one of the four key priorities, healthcare will be an important part of the broader work of the Estonian Presidency. In particular, in its programme for the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO), the Presidency highlights the key healthcare-related areas on which the Estonian-led European Union will focus on:
- Reducing the harm caused by alcohol – Recognizing Europe as the world’s heaviest drinking region, the Estonian Presidency will focus on cross-border challenges in reducing alcohol-related harms, which will be at the center of informal discussions of the EU health ministers and focus of an expert level conference in October.
- Antimicrobial Resistance – In line with the new 2017 EU One Health Action Plan on AMR, the Estonian Presidency will work with EU institutions and Member States to jointly manage the emergence and spread of AMR. Estonia will adopt the One Health approach, which takes into consideration the interconnection between animal health, human health and environment. Among the key actions identified in the programme, the Presidency will try to foster an expert-level discussion to define intersectoral indicators for assessing the AMR Action plans.
- Medicines – As part of its health-related activities, the Estonian Presidency will deal with EU issues in relation to both the availability of medicines and the implementation of safety features appearing on the packaging of the medicinal products.
- Digitalisation of Healthcare and Health Data – As one of the most digital-ready countries in the European Union, supporting the EU—wide digital revolution of healthcare is a key aspect of the health-related programme of the Presidency. Enhanced cooperation, cross—border data flow and data security will be at the center of the Presidency work around this area of interest.
Scaling up the European digitalization of healthcare – a key objective for the Estonian Presidency
In the framework of the third priority ‘A digital Europe and the free movement of data’, the Estonian Presidency decided to give considerable importance to the digitalization of healthcare for its Presidency programme. The use of digital solutions in healthcare is indeed identified as a key factor not only to make the health systems more manageable and sustainable, but also to help patients assume greater role in their own care. Therefore, Estonia will initiate a broad discussion between Member States to further enhance EU-wide cooperation to overcome challenges, address thorny issues and sparkle a scale-up process over the next few years.
The Presidency will aim at creating the necessary preconditions for a broader use of e-health, implementing the principles of the Digital Single Market in the health sectors and thus overcoming obstacles such as scarce interoperability and fragmentation of services and markets. Particular attention will be given to health data. Due to the increased volumes of data created by digital solutions such as smart devices and mobile application, ensuring smooth cross-border data movement while guaranteeing high-level of security and data protection is consider essential to ease the utilization of health data for treatment, research and innovation purposes.
Health ministers will discuss e-health issues in July at an informal meeting and in October at a high-level conference. The Estonian Presidency will also propose Council conclusions on digital health for adoption at the December EPSCO Council.
Digital Health Society
To further work on free flow of data and to support the implementation of Digital health across Europe, the Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia, in collaboration with the European Connected Health Alliance (ECHAlliance), launched an international collaborative work around the concept of Digital Health Society (DHS). An ecosystem of EU key stakeholders, representing policy-makers, citizens, health professionals, scientist, companies and payers, will work together to address the current challenges for digital health deployment, as expressed in the DHS Declaration.
A series of Task Forces has also been created and will work on specific topics such as interoperability standards, data governance and free flow of data, digital transformation and change management. The DHS Task Forces conclusions will be published in September, including call for commitments and actions.
Webinar about the Estonian Presidency and the Digital Health Society
In the framework of the DHS activites, the Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia and the ECHAlliance have also launched a broad consultation across Europe. Do not miss the opportunity to contribute to the DHS declaration by sharing your ideas and experiences. Click here to access the online consultation (open until 30th of August 2017)
Useful Links
- Official Website eu2017.ee
- Official Facebook Account https://www.facebook.com/EU2017EE
- Official Twitter Account https://twitter.com/EU2017EE
- Presidency Priorities https://www.eu2017.ee/priorities-estonian-presidency
- Presidency Full Programme: https://www.eu2017.ee/sites/default/files/2017-06/EU2017EE%20Programme_0.pdf
- Presidency EPSCO Programme: https://www.eu2017.ee/sites/default/files/2017-07/EU2017EE%20EPSCO%20Programme_0.pdf
- Article – How to move digital health data in Europe in a secure way? https://www.eu2017.ee/news/insights/how-move-digital-health-data-europe-secure-way
- 20 July 2017 – EPSCO EU Council Press Release
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What our Members say
I have been active in EHMA since the first years of the '90s and I have seen its evolution from a small association of members interested in sharing knowledge on health management practices to the current status of reference and advisory key player for EU, health systems and organisations, stakeholders associations, industry and universities. EHMA is now a unique knowledge hub, policy advisor, community of practice and network of best in class organisations involved in health policy and management. A place where health managers can build their competences, policy-makers and stakeholder associations envision how to implement and sustain change through health management, industry leaders understand how to engage more effectively with health organisations and systems. The right place to nurture and grow health management capabilities and capacity for every stakeholder of health systems.
Prof. Federico Lega, University of Milan, Italy
Health management has a crucial function in shaping public health and health system challenges. The Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria had success in collaborating with EHMA on EU-funded projects that has resourced us to create new health management competencies for the future workforce. In addition to all classical definitions, health management is a science dealing with individuals, groups, and society at large. It is an art contributing to the beauty of our lives and an interactive communication process at all levels of institutions and human energy. I have also had the pleasure to chair the South Eastern European Special Interest Group which gives members a space to discuss and tools to address how health systems are managed in our regions.
Prof. Todorka Kostadinova, Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria
I enjoy the high level of interaction and engagement in EHMA’s activities, in particular during the annual conference where the panel discussions are rich and well prepared. As a hospital manager and professor of health management, EHMA motivates and inspires me to be creative. You go back home feeling energised from seeing old friends and making new connections, as well as being convinced of serving as EHMA’s ambassador. It’s a strong feeling of interdisciplinary engagement, but it also feels like being part of family-like community.
Prof. Sandra C. Buttigieg, University of Malta, Malta
EHMA is a pre-eminent organisation for everyone working in planning, managing and delivering health services across Europe. As a long standing member of EHMA I have always been impressed by the vibrant community of managers, researchers and academics it has created and by the many opportunities for sharing knowledge and funding opportunities it has brought to its members. Its international scope is impressive and its impact is often felt in management and research across European and national health systems.
Prof. Axel Kaehne, Edge Hill University, UK
Health workforce has become more essential in operating, managing and maintaining health systems lately, particularly in crisis and emergency situations. European healthcare professions and the workforce need to be high on the agenda of managers and decision makers. The Health Services Management Training Centre, Semmelweis University in Hungary is a longstanding EHMA member, because it connects us with collaborators and experts, with whom we can have complex debates, from whom we can learn and at the end find solutions in various challenging fields of healthcare management.
Dr Eszter Kovács, Health Services Management Training Centre, Semmelweis University, Hungary
As a hospital administrator and health management professor, I see on a daily basis that the healthcare challenges require talented and skilled managers to transform it. the EHMA membership has been beneficial to bring healthcare management research and education to the demanding healthcare services world, promoting healthcare management competencies and knowledge creation.
Dr Alexandre Lourenco, APAH - Association of Portuguese Hospital Managers, Portugal
Many healthcare systems in Europe and beyond are facing similar challenges which require innovative and creative solutions. EHMA’s annual conference, webinars, Programme Directors’ group and other activities and resources provide incredible opportunities for networking, connecting and sharing experiences. A distinct feature of EHMA is the diversity of members with representation from many countries, sectors and different communities of practice – academic, policy-makers, practitioners, managers, leaders and students. The annual conference is a highlight in the calendar year, offering a friendly, fun and learningful environment for emerging and established members to engage, collaborate and meet up with old and new friends. I am proud to be a member of the EHMA Board.
Prof. Ann Mahon, University of Manchester, UK
Society evolution, pandemics and ageing modify health needs. So, health policies and services are to change dramatically. EHMA, through webinars, workshops and annual conference provides an excellent insight to a professional changing world, favouring closeness to management innovation and the protagonists of these changes. As a primary care services’ manager, participating in EHMA activities is really worth it and allows to involve oneself in the innovation processes.
Dr Antoni Peris Grao, Consorci Castelldefels Agents de Salut (CASAP), Spain