HEALTHCARE
As Governments strive to administer increasingly complex healthcare systems in our continuously changing world, they are inevitably faced with a twofold task - to guarantee quality care and promote its continued improvement, and to improve the economic efficiency of the system as a whole.
The impact of healthcare costs on regional and national Government budgets is rising steadily in response to continued growth in the average age of constituents, demographic expansion, more users insisting on better quality, the evolution of pathologies, etc.
To meet these challenges, many different factors need to be taken into consideration, such as:
- Models for healthcare organization and administration;
- Medical and pharmaceutical research;
- Training for medical and paramedical personnel;
- Application of ICT to the healthcare sector (e-health);
- Development of public-private partnerships.
The project calls for the creation of a platform of initiatives with a common purpose: to establish a network of knowledge, experiences, comparisons of models, research findings and e-health tools.
The first pilot project is focused on: Cancer care and Bio-banks
The proposal is to focus on the evolution towards personalized medicine (main pathology – cancer – affordable with molecular approach: right therapy for the right person with the right drug). Basic instruments can be cancer networks and bio banking of the biological material.
In the framework of the thematic workshop “Cancer care and bio-banks: current networks and potential for cooperation” which has taken place in Milan on 29th September during the World Regions Forum, representatives and experts from participating partner regions have met to explore future cooperation opportunities in the area of health, with special reference to cancer care and bio-banks networks. During the workshop discussion, the common declaration has been enriched with new contents and its final text will be adopted in the very next days.