EU – Baltic States, Innovations, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Medicine, Technology

E-Health Week

The e-Health week is already more than 10 years old (this year it is the 11^th time health authorities in Europe were gathering to discuss burning issues). The participants have been full of enthusiasm and energy, ready to discover and innovate. The Irish capital, Dublin was an excellent place for this approach, being a hotspot for technology and start-ups.

Life expectancy for Europeans often exceeds 80 years; however, children and grandchildren can expect a longer life: that's a triumph. An armory of thousands of medicines and treatments contribute to that achievement, helping people to address the vast majority of diseases.

Besides some positive things there are some challenges: the member states and the EU institutions must take care for the ageing population, and ensure they stay active, healthy and happy.

The EU healthcare model is under pressure, argued the Commissioner, in part due to the fact that there are more chronic and degenerative conditions in a modern world. The main reason for the health system’s deficiency is the lack of resources.  

Potentials in the e-health

The Commissioner underlined huge potentials in the e-health system. Among other things, the system can make the following:

• to help people stay active and independent for longer;  
• to offer better public services at less cost; and  
• to stimulate a strong EU market that could serve citizens, and compete globally.

The member states have already a good knowledge-base capacity for innovation on e-health; with the right political support these assets can be doubled.

The Commission e-health Action Plan, adopted in December 2012, is a first step towards EU-2020 strategy, making e-health a real advantage for the citizens, and addressing some remaining challenges.

Thus, for example, e-health can stimulate the following positive impacts:

• Interoperability: the e-health system can make e-health tools and services work together within and between EU regions;  
• Research and development: the new EU program Horizon 2020 will support ICT-enabled innovation, on new health tools, treatments and systems centered on users;
• Deployment: e-health system is included in the EU funding through, e.g. the Competitiveness and Innovation Program and the European Regional Development Fund, and possibly in the future Connecting Europe Facility;
• It will help improving digital skills and health literacy, as well as improving the evidence base about the impact of e-health; and  
• International cooperation: there will be soon a second workshop on the EU–US Memorandum of Understanding in Dublin.

In the pursuit of the common aim

The mentioned factors are all relevant issues in the EU’s pursuit for a European common aim: to encourage e-health to be deployed and used more widely and effectively.

The EU institutions have to implement the actions identified in the e-Health action plan, and the member states must take that challenge very seriously, argued the Commissioner.

Reference: Speech/13/401, Exploiting the potential of e-Health, by Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda.

The Commission will continue to work on the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. It's a great way for those directly involved to get together, share their experiences and learn.  

Another very relevant area is mobile apps for mobile health and wellbeing, which empower people to easily take control of their own health; the Commission is working on a Green Paper which will launch a public debate on that issue.

As to the research and innovation, the Commission is currently negotiating proposals for e-Health funding under EU research Framework Program 7; and from June 2013it will be evaluating proposals under the Competitiveness and Innovation Program.

“Often, the right instruments lie in other hands, e.g. from Finance Ministers to regional governments, researchers to careers, insurers and venture capitalists to digital entrepreneurs”, added the Commissioner.

And of course, the national health ministers: so, actually the Commission’s plan is about “working together”, which is the key to the common success. And the plan will be put into practice over the coming days, she added.

Reference: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-401_en.htm?locale=en