Healthy Europe asked prominent decision-makers whether the social contract and solidarity in general is under threat in Europe and about their vision for health and society for 2040. Valentina Prevolnik Rupel, Minister of Health of the Republic of Slovenia, Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig, State Secretary, Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection of Austria, Herwig Ostermann, Executive Director of Gesundheit Österreich GmbH, and Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director of the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems of WHO/Europe responded.
Health systems
In this interview, we spoke to Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat from the WHO Regional Office for Europe about why democracies are good for our health, what should be done to counteract the “infodemic”, and why trust in health systems is essential.
Citizen participation in decision-making that relates to a country’s health system can help to improve it – as long as the process is genuine and the findings are taken seriously.
Vesna Kerstin Petrič from the Slovenian Ministry of Health talks about how social participation should be used above all to reach vulnerable groups and to include them so health services can be shaped better to their needs.
A European Union project in Austria, Belgium and Slovenia aims to strengthen the capacities of Member States for accessing EU funding that could be used to support health system reforms.
Clemens Martin Auer, President of the European Health Forum Gastein, in an interview about the main topic of the European Health Forum Gastein 2024 and how investing in healthcare can help to counter the current threat to democracies.
The main topic of the European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) in 2023 was “Health systems in crisis – countering shockwaves and fatigue”. The EHFG 2023 gathered over 160 speakers, spanning the World Health Organization, European Commission, country officials, industry representatives, healthcare professionals, and civil society actors.
Healthy Europe asked three prominent decision-makers why Europe’s health systems are facing a crisis. Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, Sandra Gallina, Director-General, European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, and Johannes Rauch, Federal Minister of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, Austria, responded.
Despite their many differences, all countries in the WHO European Region are suffering from a shortage of healthcare workers, an issue that has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO is proposing collective long-term action.
Michael West, Professor of Organisational Psychology at Lancaster University, explains why humans are compassionate beings and why this should play a key role for managers in the healthcare sector.