Healthy Europe
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CURRENT INFORMATION ON PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH PROMOTION hea elthyurope EUROPEAN HEALTH FORUM GASTEIN 2019 A healthy dose of disruption? TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE FOR HEALTH AND SOCIETAL WELL-BEING Climate Interview Vaccine crisis Towards the hesitancy A public health Economy of Counterstrategies emergency well-being are needed OCTOBER 2019 PUBLISHING DETAILS Disclosure in accordance with §25 of CONTENTS the Austrian Media Act (MedG) Media owner and publisher: teamword, Dietmar Schobel, Meidlinger Hauptstr. 3/5-7, 1120 Vienna, Austria Concept: VACCINE HESITANCY IS INCREASING Dorli Kahr-Gottlieb (EHFG), Counterstrategies are necessary at a national level and Thomas Panayotopoulos (EHFG), 12 also in cooperation between countries. Dietmar Schobel (teamword) Editorial office: Dietmar Schobel, Meidlinger Hauptstr. 3/5-7, 1120 Vienna, Austria, www.teamword.at, [email protected], Tel.: +43 1 909 33 46 (office) or +43 664 360 17 82 (mobile) Translation: Rosemary Bridger-Lippe Graphic design: Gottfried Halmschlager Photo Editors: Susanne Karlhuber, Dietmar Schobel Photos: Fotolia, private s Cover photo: i m _ i l a Fotolia – Aleksandr Simonov t a n - m o c . a Proofreading: i l o t o Louise Boyle, Rosemary Bridger-Lippe F : o t o h Printing: P Ferdinand Berger & So ḧ ne Ges.m.b.H. Publication frequency: ‘Healthy Europe‘, October 2019, PEOPLE AND and provides a platform Herwig Ostermann, is a one-off publication for the POLICIES for discussion of the latest Managing Director of European Health Forum Gastein 2019 topics every year. Gesundheit Österreich Published and produced in Vienna, Austria Clemens Martin Auer, 5 GmbH (GÖG), on disrup - Publisher’s post office: President of the tion by health information, 1120 Vienna, Austria European Health Forum Three profiles: Andrea and data as the basis for Gastein (EHFG), explains Ammon, Indra Joshi, policy decisions. Editorial policy: in an interview why it is Ran Balicer 8 ‘Healthy Europe’ is a platform for public health 6 and health promotion in Europe, necessary to act with greater speed and deci - ‘Healthy Europe’ presenting people and conveying content ‘Healthy Europe’ asked asked three Young from the worlds of politics and science, as siveness for health policies. Zsuzsanna Jakab, Anne Gasteiners what well as practical issues. This edition of the 4 Bucher and Brigitte Zarfl characterises a magazine was made possible by collaboration between the European Health Forum Gastein The European Health whether we need a ‘healthy ‘youth-designed (EHFG) and Gesundheit Österreich GmbH. Forum Gastein (EHFG) is dose of disruption’. health policy’. a unique conference 7 9 2 healthy europe EDITORIAL Dear Readers, ealth systems usually develop slowly. In H contrast, technical in - G novation often causes rapid, F H E : disruptive social change. o t o h Specifying the areas in which P a healthy dose of disruption is needed for reforming health policies, to - gether with how this can be devised to achieve transformative change for health and societal well-being, is the main topic of the European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) in 2019. This issue of the magazine ‘Healthy Eu - rope’, which has been published on the occa - sion of the EHFG for the second time, pro - vides an initial overview of the key confer - ence content and views of some of our key 16 speakers. On pages 10 and 11, two leading digital health experts Indra Joshi and Ran Balicer ex - a l i plain why they believe that digitalisation will m d u not reduce the human touch in health sys - L - m tems. In fact, they are convinced that it will o c . a i l enable healthcare to become better, more per - o t o F The climate sonal and more focussed on patient needs in : o t o h the future, provided that digital technology is P crisis is also a put to appropriate use and private data is ‘ guaranteed secure protection. public health Luca Li Bassi, Director General of the Italian Medicines Agency Agenzia Italiana del Far - maco (AIFA), explains in an interview on emergency page 14 why Italy was a leading force behind a resolution of the World Health Assembly to demand improved ‘transparency of markets We need to act: specific measures to address this crisis are urgently required. for medicines, vaccines, and other health ‘ products’. On page 15 Päivi Sillanaukee , Direc - tor General in the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, explains why the Econo - my of Well-being is a priority area of Fin - land’s Presidency of the EU Council. Funda - KNOWLEDGE (AIFA), in an interview on Matthias Wismar from mental, and likely disruptive change in the fair prices for medicines the European Observatory way we produce and consume is urgently re - quired to address the climate crisis before it’s Will digitalisation reduce and other health prod - on Health Systems and too late. On pages 16 and 17 you will find the human touch in ucts, and improved Policies on good more on this topic, which is currently heading healthcare? Experts are market transparency. governance as a system the list of priorities in all areas of policy. convinced that new tech - 14 of steering targeted nology will enable doctors health reforms. I wish you enjoyable reading and interesting to respond even better Päivi Sillanaukee, 18 days of learning and exchange at the EHFG to patient needs in the Director General in the 2019, future. Finnish Ministry of Sarah Thomson from the 10 Social Affairs and Health, WHO Barcelona Office for explains why a permanent Health Systems Strength - Dorli Kahr-Gottlieb, EHFG Secretary General Luca Li Bassi, Director change of mindset and an ening in an interview on General of the Italian economy of well-being poverty due to out-of- Medicines Agency Agen - are needed. pocket health payments. zia Italiana del Farmaco 15 19 healthy europe 3 PEOPLE & POLICIES A healthy dose of disruption for societal well-being Clemens Martin Auer , President of the European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG), explains why it is necessary to act with greater speed and decisiveness. HEALTHY EUROPE need to attempt to find new forms of part - for dealing with the global operations of Dr Auer, the EHFG in 2019 has the nership to search for solutions that provide the pharmaceutical industry. motto ‘A healthy dose of disruption? better prevention of overweight, obesity and Transformative change for health and the non-communicable diseases that can de - HEALTHY EUROPE societal well-being’. Why was this velop as a result. At present such dialogue Our health is influenced by all sectors chosen as the central theme? hardly takes place, or not at all. The public of society, which is expressed by the Clemens Martin Auer: There are so many sector needs to get involved here as well: we concept ‘Health in All Policies’. In areas in the health sector where we have have to wake up and leave our ivory tower – what way do societies as a whole known a great deal about what needs to be even if it might be a bit uncomfortable. need to rethink? done for such a long time. Yet it often takes Over the past years and decades, globalisation far too long for knowledge to be followed by HEALTHY EUROPE of the economy and strengthening the com - action. Or there is no action at all. What we What are other examples of where petitive position were the determining nar - need is decisive behaviour – or to put it dif - change must happen more rapidly in ratives. Everything was subordinate to this ferently, a ‘healthy dose of disruption’ – as the health sector? way of thinking, which pushed economic con - the starting point for doing things differently There are many examples. If I have to name straints even further into the spotlight in the and implementing the necessary steps more just one, then it would be access to inno - political debate. Now we actually need a new rapidly. vative medicines. At the moment, this is narrative for societies in general – one that not open to all people to the same extent takes into consideration the 17 United Nations HEALTHY EUROPE even within the European Union. For in - Sustainable Development Goals. This could How would you describe these steps stance, new cancer medication is frequently focus on activities that promote people’s well- in practice? only available in a small number of countries being. It would produce an entirely different If you take as an example the increasing num - at first, and it takes years to arrive in the picture of what action is really necessary now ber of people who are overweight or obese, others. This is unacceptable, and so we and in the future. then at present we reach out to them with need to reconsider current privileges in statements such as ‘Follow a healthier diet!’ patent protection and market exclusivity. HEALTHY EUROPE or ‘Do more exercise!’. But that won’t be This can also involve overcoming market What do you personally, as President enough. We also have to examine the role of fragmentation and developing a common of the European Health Forum the food, drinks and alcohol industry. We strategy between the European countries Gastein, hope that the conference achieves in 2019? The European Health Forum Gastein hosts high-ranking international representatives from the economy, science, civil society and ‘We don’t have another 15 or 20 years health policy sectors. I would like us to succeed in convincing a good number of participants F B H to correct what is going wrong.’ to act more rapidly and decisively in their / h c i n i CLEMENS MARTIN AUER, PRESIDENT everyday professional lives. Then we will have M d l a OF THE EUROPEAN HEALTH FORUM GASTEIN taken a big step.