The Netherlands invests in future healthcare resilience

A 670 million euro investment will be made by the Health Ministry of Health of the Netherlands to improve pandemic preparedness, as the approach to the Coronavirus pandemic was insufficient, NL Times reports. The country’s Health Minister Ernst Kuipers announced that the Cabinet had agreed on this.

Over the next two years, 74 million euros will go to the GGD public health branches. A part of these funds is earmarked for training and improving the expertise of GGD staff. “In this way, the quality and professionalism of the infectious disease control employees is maintained,” Kuipers said.

48 million euros will be allocated over the next three years to improve IT systems, to provide health and to to share data between parties involved in preventing and controlling pandemics, such as the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).

“During the coronavirus pandemic, it quickly became clear that the existing information provision is not well equipped for pandemic control,” explained Kuipers.

Infection Control Functionality (LFI) will receive an additional 9 million next year. For this purpose, that amount is added once to the annual budget of 10 million euros. In the event of an ongoing or new pandemic, the LFI will assume a coordinating role from mid-2023. “For example, in times of crisis, decisive management can be conducted, with more central management by the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport,” the health minister said.

Related News

All News

Willum Þór: The question remains if our healthcare system is sustainable

On January 1st, Iceland took over the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. This intergovernmental organisation plays an important role in promoting innovations, health data integration, and cooperation between all major stakeholders in the Nordic healthcare. The Icelandic Health Minister elaborates on his vision to future health in the Nordic region, the Nordic strengths, Iceland’s plans for the Presidency with regards to health innovations, and the coming collaboration with Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies

CIFS ran an all-day session at the Week of Health and Innovation (WHINN) in Odense

Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies ran an all-day session at the annual Week of Health and Innovation (WHINN) in Odense, Denmark. CIFS’ program attracted over 40 experts from health and data organisations. We presented strategic foresight and futures studies in the health sector, concepts that are used to reimagine the future of the health sector, such as the Humanome and decentralised clinical trials. Also, we had a panel discussion on the newly started Phase V project on decentralised clinical trials, where CIFS is a contributing partner

New HIMSS book out on blockchain in healthcare

The HIMSS Series has a new book on blockchain in healthcare. “Blockchain in Healthcare: Innovations that Empower Patients, Connect Professionals, and Improve Care” is the title of the book. According to the book’s authors, Vikram Dhillon, John Bass, Max Hooper, David Metcalf, and Alex Cahana, blockchain technology may hold the greatest potential in healthcare. Some of the first use cases in medical payments, electronic health records, HIPAA/data privacy, and drug counterfeiting have been explored by early pioneers. There is still much work to be done in order to automate the complexities of today’s healthcare systems and design new systems that are focused on trust, transparency, and aligning incentives. In this book, Metcalf, Bass, Hooper, Cahana, and Dhillon have assembled over 50 contributors, including early adopters, thought leaders, and health innovators. They tell their stories and share their knowledge. The videos and transcripts provided by many authors and contributors humanize the technical details and abstract aspects of blockchain. Using the fundamentals of blockchain, the authors curated a collection of future-oriented examples that build on early successes. After a brief introduction to the fundamentals and the protocols available, as well as early blockchain efforts specific to health and healthcare, the authors discuss the promise of smart contracts and protocols to automate complex, distributed processes and some of the early consortiums that are exploring the possibilities. Throughout the book are examples and use cases, with special attention given to the more advanced and far-reaching examples that can be scaled at an industry-level. In addition, a discussion of integrating blockchain technology into other advanced healthcare trends and IT systems – such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, value-based payments, patient engagement solutions, big data solutions, medical tourism, and clinical trials among many others – is presented. The final section provides a glimpse into the future using blockchain technology and examples of research projects that are still in labs across the globe.