From 25 to 27 September four French healthcare professionals attended the Health Holland Visitors Programme, a 3-day programme for decision-makers from around the world. The aim was to increase the knowledge of the worldwide renowned Dutch Health system and related smart solutions. The programme of this year contained three tracks:

-The Ageing Society

-Increasing Quality & Cost Effectiveness

-Preventing Epidemics

The programme contained a visit to the Erasmus MC, Maasstad Ziekenhuis, GGD Rotterdam Rijnmond and interesting talks of Bruno Bruins and Erik Gerritsen, respectively the Minister and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health Welfare and Sport. Besides there was a talk about the accessibility, quality & affordability of healthcare, a talk of the Santeon Hospital Group and of course the conference World of Health Care itself.

“When ‘I’ is replaced by ‘we’ even illness turns into wellness” -Nico van Meeteren

The World of Health Care brought together people from different tiers of the Life Science and Health sector; the government, professionals from the public and private sector, NGO’s, knowledge institutes and startups. Next to the diverse categories of organizations also 18 nationalities were present. Health systems around the world are now facing similar challenges as they grapple with ageing populations and rising incidences of chronic disease. In parallel, decision-makers are under pressure to design health systems which are able to cope with new and existing health issues, yet, which are both financially sustainable and make use of innovative technologies and powerful drugs. In an age of globalization, the provision of healthcare and its challenges transcend borders.

 

International collaboration and knowledge exchange is thus a crucial component of tackling current and future health issues in a quest to improve global healthcare for all.

It were three fruitful days of knowledge sharing, networking and fostering meaningful partnerships. A special thanks goes out to Task Force Health Care for organizing this event and to our French delegation for exhibiting their interest.