“Smart Health – Better Lives: Moving Innovation ahead in Europe” was the motto of the Informal Meeting of EU Health Ministers, hosted by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in Horsens, on 23-24 April 2011. Hungary was represented at the meeting by Dr. Miklós Szócska MD, Minister of State for Health, Ministry of National Resources.
Health Ministers exchanged views on how to further strengthen the European health technology sector. Enhancing innovation in health care can bring about multiple benefits for European patients, societies, economies by bringing better and more effective care and treatment, improving working conditions in the health care sector, promoting better use of available resources and contributing to the financial sustainability of the health system. Furthermore, the development of the technological industry contributes to the improvement of competitiveness and economic growth. The key question for health ministers is how to create more favourable conditions for innovation in the health sector in a way that the main guiding principle should always be to serve the interest of patients, and at the same time ensure the effective utilisation of resources.
“Management of Chronic Diseases: Promoting Patient empowerment in Europe” was the other high priority question discussed by Ministers. Chronic diseases impose an enormous burden for the individual, the families and the whole society, already now. By today, it has become widely accepted that informed, active patients can essentially contribute to meeting health challenges. The combined application of shared-care and self-care, based on the co-operation of the patient, the family and health care workers can play an especially important role in caring for chronic diseases. However, today’s societies and health care systems are not yet prepared for shaping this close co-operation among patients and health experts, this paradigm shift is still at an initial phase. The Ministers exchanged views on Member States’ experiences, achievements to be shared, barriers or issues not tackled in the processes of empowering patients for their conscious, active participation, as well as on how these processes could be supported through the co-operation of Member States.
Ministers visited the Regional Hospital in Horsens, where e-health and telemedicine solutions enhance the information flow among doctors, nurses and patients, allowing for the more effective treatment of patients.
There is great potential in the development and spread of electronic health services all across Europe and in Hungary – said Dr. Szócska in an interview following the informal ministerial meeting.
Dr. Szócska emphasised that Ministers discussed issues related to the safety of medical devices, also in view of the PIP breast implants that recently caused serious problems in several EU Member States. Ministers agreed that, in order to avoid similar situations, the relevant union legislation shall be amended to ensure an even more rigorous control of medical devices. Until establishing the legal and procedural conditions to the safe manufacturing of medical devices, a more effective early warning system shall be operated.
The transformation, modernisation of health services is an issue high on the European agenda. Similarly to Hungary, in other countries as well, health policy thinking is focused on capacity planning and control, effective patient pathways and the care for elderly patients.
The main theme of the meeting was innovation and electronic health services. Dr. Szócska emphasised that electronic health should not be viewed as an information technology system, but as a chance for further developing the health care system. E-prescription was one of the issues raised. It is already used in several countries and its introduction is in the preparatory phase in Hungary, in line with measures foreseen by the Széll Kálmán Plan 2.0. Other solutions touched upon in the discussions and being only planned in other countries are already applied in Hungary, such as for example the electronic access of Hungarian family doctors to all publicly financed health services data received by their patients.
Ministers agreed that technology development supporting the care for the elderly should be enhanced at union level and it should be supported by major investments in the next 5-10 years. Dr. Szócska mentioned that for example the establishment of remote control services might receive essential resources in the future to enhance home care for the elderly.
Ministers discussed issues related to the significance of health technology assessment (HTA) in view of their efficiency and cost efficiency and agreed on the importance of union level co-operation and sharing of experiences among HTA institutions in Member States, including the relevant Hungarian institution. The possibility of a HTA system based on a joint European data base was also raised.
In his contribution, Dr. Szócska raised that the oversized administration and bureaucracy of European research and development might contribute to its competitiveness weaknesses, a view that was shared by other Ministers. Dr. Szócska also mentioned problems related to the major differences in the levels of fees received in European projects by researchers coming from different Member States, mentioning that the fair solution would be to receive the same remuneration for the same performance.
The second day of the ministerial meeting on Tuesday was devoted to the question of how patients and patient organisations can be better involved in care, to empower patients to be able to take more responsibilities in their recovery. Dr. Szócska said that Hungary has already laid the foundations for that. The National Patient Forum has recently been established, comprising patient organisations and being involved in the different processes representing patient needs and interests.
(Ministry of National Resources)
