International Conference on Primary Healthcare in Austria and Europe: Innovation for Resilient Health Systems

The conference is co-organised by the European Commission, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health Care and Consumer Protection and the European Health Forum Gastein and will be streamed online with live panel discussions hosted at the House of the European Union in Vienna.

European health systems face numerous challenges today. As they start to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring they come back more resilient, sustainable and effective is imperative. Innovation holds the key to transforming health and care systems and to making them fit for the future. However, implementing innovative solutions from theory to practice can be extremely demanding. These challenges call for a joint vision to foster European collaboration and mutual learning for the successful transfer and implementation of innovations.

The Conference will explore the potential of innovation in governance and finance to strengthen health system resilience and in particular Primary Healthcare in Europe. The panelists will discuss ongoing initiatives and collaborative instruments which European partners can capitalise on to implement innovation. The Conference aims to provide a platform for mutual learning: from sharing successful experiences in the Austrian context of Primary Healthcare to reflecting together on the lessons learnt from COVID-19 across the European continent.

The Conference builds on insights from the initiative to transform Primary Healthcare in Austria supported by the Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG Reform) of the European Commission.

Programme:

Speakers

Wolfgang Mückstein, Austrian Federal Minister of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection

Janez Poklukar, Slovenian Minister of Health

Martin Selmayr, Permanent Representative of the European Commission to Austria

Nathalie Berger, Director DG REFORM, European Commission

Nick Fahy, Expert Adviser on Innovation and Implementation, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

Dana Burduja, Senior Health Economist with the Life Sciences and Health Division of the Projects Directorate at the EIB

Moderation:

Dimitra Panteli, Programme Manager European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies