The conference was held in Gastein (Austria) from 26 to 29 September 2023.
The European Health Forum Gastein 2023 (European Health Forum Gastein – EHFG) focused on addressing the problems faced by health systems before the advent of COVID, such as the transformation of primary care and social care, inequalities in access to care, or the ageing of the population and the increase in non-communicable diseases. Likewise, the so-called “subsequent permacrises” – including an ongoing pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis and the climate emergency – have only aggravated the situation of European healthcare systems and stretched health and care workers to the limit with professional fatigue and burnout. Since its founding in 1998, this health forum has become a key platform for politicians, senior health officials and experts in the field of health. In addition, the EHFG has established itself as an indispensable institution in the field of intersectoral European health policy and has made a decisive contribution to the transfer of experience and health information between Member States.
This year, 2023, the International Health Congress once again brought together decision-makers from different European Member States, experts and managers from the public and private sectors, civil society, science and academia. For four days, discussions were held on how to overcome these challenges and develop new approaches and innovations for the transformation of today’s healthcare systems.
Within the program, on September 28, 2023, a specific session was organized entitled “Accelerating the path to integrated and digitized care. Sharing best practices for health systems transformation in the JADECARE Joint Action.” Organized by Biosistemak, the objective of the session was to highlight the impact achieved by the JADECARE Joint Action, targeting more than 4 million people at different levels (local, regional and national). The impact achieved by the project covers aspects such as digital transformation, reorganization of care pathways, change management and citizen empowerment, among others. The session also served to share the knowledge gained from the transfer of four original good practices to 21 European regions and healthcare contexts.
It is worth mentioning the participation of the Basque Government Minister of Health, Gotzone Sagardui, in the session of the JADECARE project, coordinated at the European level by Biosistemak. The Minister highlighted the challenges faced by public health systems in Europe today, such as new technologies, digital transformation, costs, lack of professionals, and an increasingly ageing population, which make it difficult to provide universal, equitable, high quality and financially sustainable care. In addition, he noted that the evidence of results in policies implemented in the Basque Country suggests that comprehensive, person-centred care generates significant improvements in care for all citizens, achieving improved quality and access to care, health and clinical outcomes, health literacy and self-care, as well as patient satisfaction and job satisfaction for workers.
Watch the session clicking on the following link: https://ehfg.live/recordings/s15
Visit the official EHFG website to learn more about the topics covered and the full program: https://www.ehfg.org/
