UEHP  
  22nd July 2021  
 
The future is green.
At a moment of incredible rains and floods in the North of Europe, solidarity is key.
To solve the menace of global warming for the next generation and find operational solutions, Europe must lead. Green hospitals will be partners for change providing quality services and innovative models. We will address in our Factbook this major revolution involving experts but also the workforce, within a positive collaboration.
In these difficult times marked by the challenges of a health crisis and climate change, all relevant international solutions demonstrate that collaborative processes are the way to go.
Another point to consider is the OECD flat tax proposition for a more stable economy, as a chance to maintain development and solidarity.
In these trying times, I wish you all a safe and restful summer holiday!
Dr Paul Garassus
President of UEHP
 
       
 
LATEST NEWS
UEHP
Save the date – SHAM workshop 26 October 2021

The next UEHP workshop titled "What have we learnt from the health crisis to reinforce our resilience?" will take place in Brussels on 26th October. This workshop is part of a series of workshops on Risk management organised in close partnership with our associated member SHAM.  
Please save the date in your agenda. More information as well as the registration link will be sent in the coming weeks. 
 
EU
Horizon Europe: €14.7 billion for a healthier, greener and more digital Europe



The European Commission has adopted the main work programme  of Horizon Europe for the period 2021-2022, which outlines the objectives and specific topic areas that will receive a total of €14.7 billion in funding. These investments will help accelerate the green and digital transitions and will contribute to sustainable recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and to EU resilience against future crises. They will support European researchers through fellowships, training and exchanges, build more connected and efficient European innovation ecosystems and create world-class research infrastructures. Moreover, they will encourage participation across Europe and from around the world, while at the same time strengthening the  European Research Area.
The first calls for proposals just opened on the Commission's  Funding and Tenders Portal.
More about calls for proposals for the HEALTH sector: Search Funding & Tenders (europa.eu)
 
EU
Slovenia takes over the Presidency of the Council
On 1 July, Slovenia took over the Presidency of the Council from Portugal for six months. According to the provisions of the Treaties, the country taking over the Presidency prepares the agendas and calendars of the meetings; it is expected to put aside national politics, playing the role of "honest mediator" with the aim of promoting agreements between EU member states.
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa has long been in the spotlight due to his disagreements with Brussels, his alliance with Hungarian populist leader Viktor Orban and increasingly autocratic policies at home.
Although the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU is mostly perceived as a bureaucratic task, the Slovenian one comes between the difficult post-COVID-19 recovery and the launch of the Next Generation EU, the stall of the enlargement process and widespread concerns for the liberal forces in various member countries.
With the motto “Together. Resilient. Europe", the program of the Slovenian Presidency is based on four priority areas:
  1. Resilience, recovery and strategic autonomy of the EU: actions to improve the resilience of the Union to crises (in the areas of health, business, energy and climate and cyberspace) and to stimulate economic recovery in line with the objectives of the double green transition and digital. Slovenia in particular has the ambition to accelerate the legislative pace on the most important proposals for the digital agenda and the Green Deal.
  2. The Conference on the Future of Europe: The Council's Contribution on How to Change the EU to Meet Citizens' Expectations.
  3. A Union of European way of life, the rule of law and equal standards for all: Slovenia commits to pursue a dialogue on the implementation of the rule of law in the European Union and in individual Member States, based on the European Commission annual report on the rule of law.
  4. A credible and secure European Union, capable of guaranteeing security and stability in its neighbourhood: this point is dedicated to the Union's external relations, with the commitment to strengthen transatlantic relations, to support the Western Balkan countries in the request for access to the EU and to achieve progress in the negotiations on the new pact on migration and asylum.
More on the Presidency programme here.
 
EU PORTUGAL
In times of pandemic…a presidency looking to the future

By Oscar Gaspar, President of APHP (Portuguese Association of Private Hospitals)
The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union has come to an end and, in the time of managing the impacts of COVID19, the chosen motto “Time to deliver: a fair, green and digital recovery” seems to have been the right one.
The first half of 2021, the European Union was marked by two concerns: Health and recovery. Economy and Health went hand in hand because now, more than ever, it is clear that Health is an essential condition for well-being and development and that Economy also has a huge impact on health (organization of services, access, human resources, mental health, etc.)
As the Portuguese government said, “In these last six months, the European Union was present in the lives of each and every one of its citizens, presenting concrete answers to their concerns and their expectations.”
On the economic side, it should be noted that between January and June it was possible to put in motion the approval of the National Plans for Recovery and Resilience, to complete the ratifications by all 27 Member States to increase the “own resources” and to issue European bonds for the first time in European history
On the Health side, the most pressing issue was still COVID19 (the pandemic is not over yet…) but with its sights set on the future. Remember that this was the first European Presidency after the State of the Union in which the European Commission and the European Parliament have joined voices in their commitment to move towards the European Health Union.
The statement was very strong: European citizens demand "health systems that guarantee care if, when and where necessary, efficiently but above all, with humanity while Europe should ensure strategic sovereignty in the economic chain linked to life sciences."
We would say that the main achievements of the “Portuguese semester” were:
  • the adoption of the EU4Health 2021-27 to respond to the pandemic's major impact on patients, medical and healthcare staff, and health systems in Europe
  • Guarantee the acquisition of the vaccines that we need in European terms and contribute to the COVAX Initiative
  • The adoption of the European Union`s Digital COVID Certificate as a tool to guarantee public health and to return to some kind of “normality” in terms of travel and meetings
The Portuguese government also believes that one of the successes in terms of “responding to the pandemic” was the Social Summit and the “Oporto Declaration” on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Unfortunately, this event was prepared well before the pandemic and health was not one of the main discussed issues.
So, days before the so called “social summit”, on the 3rd of May, 23 associations of the private health sector signed “the Oporto Declaration” for more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive health systems. UEHP was one the members of this honour group.
The various health players (research and development, pharmaceutical industry, pharmacies, medical device industry, outpatient providers, hospitals, insurers, providers in areas such as information technologies and equipment) form a cluster (a diamond, as Michael Porter would say) that is at the service of citizens' health and the sustainability of health systems, contributing also to the qualified employment, investment, and competitiveness of the European economy. This is also one of our contributions for the European Health Union because we believe that private initiative can bring knowledge, dynamism, and efficiency. That is why there are a lot of other European entities, including patient associations, that want to subscribe to the Oporto Declaration and in the coming months we will be in a good position to reinforce its message in Brussels.
We ended the semester with the conviction that we contributed to taking a few steps forward and now we pass the baton…for the long way to go. Towards more robust health systems and guaranteeing access to European citizens, knowing that the contribution of private hospitals will be crucial to achieve these goals.
 
Serbia
The Private Health Care Sector in Serbia Today: A Short Overview
The 4th priority of the program of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU “Together. Resilient. Europe" is dedicated among others to the support of the Western Balkan countries in the request for access to the EU. Serbia is a candidate country. UEHP supports private health care institutions in Europe and in the Western Balkan which allow patients to access quality-based health care services. Spotlight on the Serbian private hospital sector…
By Dejana Rankovic, MSc, MPA, Co-Founder and former Director of the Association of Serbian Private Health Care Providers
Healthcare expenditure in Serbia in 2018 was 8,55% of GDP (comparing to the EU average of 9.9% of GDP), out of which total government expenditure for health accounts for 60% and the rest is private expenditure. The government collects funds through a pooling system of mandatory social contributions (94% of government health expenditure), centralized in the State Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
The majority of private expenditure on health (95%) consists of patients' out-of-pocket payments, and the remaining is private health insurance schemes. Given that the public and private healthcare sectors are not linked, out-of-pocket payments are almost entirely in the private healthcare sector. Private hospitals, and other private healthcare facilities – dental offices, laboratory and radiology diagnostics, small medical practices, which altogether draw approximately 16% of total health expenditure, are in no way connected to the public healthcare system.
The private healthcare sector is thriving in the last few years, as a combination of perceived or real unavailability of public healthcare services, general economic development thus increased of investment potential, and the universal rise of on-demand healthcare by patients who want healthcare on their own schedule. Several big private hospitals became hospital systems with dozens of branches, some were taken over by esteemed foreign hospital systems (namely Acibadem), and pharmacies are almost entirely private. Though the private sector is far smaller than the public one it is increasingly becoming the first choice for primary healthcare level services.
In Serbia, the consolidation of the private market has already started. Larger institutions, which are growing through mergers and acquisitions or organically, are able to offer a wider range of high-quality services and procedures that are usually reserved for the best public hospitals. Of the three major private providers (Bel Medic, Medigroup and Euromedik), operate mainly in Belgrade, whose healthcare market is now fairly well covered.
The private health system in Serbia would be ready to be more integrated into the public health system and to fully cooperate especially in the field of prevention (chronic non-communicable diseases account for 80% of deaths and are responsible for 70% of the total disease burden), digitalization (electronic health record in particular), patient safety, and integration of services across different regions, levels of care and population cohorts.
It would be very useful for us if other EU countries, including those in the Eastern part of Europe, could come up with models of integration that we could look at. Most European countries have resolved the issue of the private health care sector in their system at the stage Serbia is currently, with the strong public sector and yet a substantial private one. Given that most of the Western Balkan countries share the heritage of the same health system, such a model could be implemented region wide.
 
       
 
UEHP presents its Board Members
PRINCIPAUTÉ DE MONACO
Guy Nervo, treasurer and Deputy Chairman of the Cardio-Thoracic Centre of Monaco
How would you summarize the place of the private healthcare sector in your country?
Private hospitalisation is above all complementary to the only public hospital in the Principality of Monaco, the Princess Grace Hospital. Three private establishments complete the health offer, the Cardio-Thoracic Centre (CCM) of which I am the Deputy Chairman, the Monegasque Institute of Sports Medicine and a dialysis centre. In cardiology, the public hospital deals with medical cardiology and rhythmology and the CCM deals with exploration and interventional cardiology, cardiac surgery and all vascular pathology. In Monaco we have a fine example of cooperation and complementarity between the two sectors.
Why did you apply to become a UEHP Board member? What would you like to achieve?
I have chaired the Union of private health care institutions in Monaco for many years and it was logical for us to join a European structure. UEHP invites us to take part in the reflections and actions carried out at European level, in particular those concerning the quality of care, the directives relating to cross-border patients, the flat-rate pricing systems by pathology... I joined the Cardio-Thoracic Centre in 1989. I was immediately won over by the innovative concept of this establishment, which is now one of Monaco's leading companies. Since then, I have been fascinated by the evolution of European private health care, its challenges and its impact, and my permanent involvement in the development of the Cardio-Thoracic Centre feeds my commitment to UEHP.
How can UEHP best help you to defend the private healthcare sector in your country?
Even if private hospitalization in Monaco is known and recognized, we are a small State with very few private health care structures. Our contribution cannot be put on the same level as that of countries with a strong private sector such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain or Portugal. On the other hand, our particular financing model, coupled with the French social security system, is interesting for all countries. Our model of care based on excellence and quality is shared by most private institutions in Europe and we are happy to present our know-how in this field. Thanks to UEHP, all the representatives of the private hospital federations in Europe, gathered around the table, exchange on their respective problems and get inspired by each other. It is together and united that we will be able to move the lines.
GERMANY
Jens Wernick, Vice-President of UEHP and advisor of the German Federation of Private Hospitals (BDPK)
How would you summarize the place of the private healthcare sector in your country?
The German health care system is a very complex regulatory system. In recent years, the legislator has transferred more and more tasks to the so-called self-administration and withdrawn from direct regulatory responsibility. The self-administration makes its decisions, among others, through the umbrella organisations of payers and service providers, such as BDPK, and through the Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss). The private hospitals are fundamentally involved - albeit indirectly - in the discussion on the further development of the system.
The impact of this system on the hospitals can certainly be criticised. However, it can be stated that the German health system - at least so far - does not fundamentally place private hospitals in a worse position than public or non-profit hospitals. For example, private hospitals do not receive lower remuneration for their services than other hospitals. They are subject to the same quality requirements. Patients with statutory health insurance have, in principle, free access to authorised private hospitals, as to other hospitals. If one compares the situation with other European countries, this is obviously not a matter of course.
In principle, the German system is open to quality and performance-based competition between service providers in a system of financing based on a planned economy. As the increasing market shares of the private providers in recent years show, the private hospital providers work very successfully in this system.
The argument of cherry-picking, which is often used by critics, could be refuted during the pandemic. Private hospitals - like the public and non-profit hospitals - were fully integrated into the pandemic response concepts and made their capacities available as part of the disaster response.
Why did you apply to become a UEHP Board member? What would you like to achieve?
UEHP has achieved amazing things in the past years and has built up an organisation that - considering limited resources - does an immense amount of work. This is only possible because of the full commitment of all those involved - first and foremost UEHP President and its Secretary General. This is also due to the many technical and organisational contributions of the delegations and the careful and precise work of our treasurer.
In this way it has also been possible so far to limit the economic burden on the member unions. In the last few years, there has been no increase in membership fees.
In my opinion, UEHP will have to face considerable challenges in its work in the coming years. As UEHP Vice-President, I see it as my task to support UEHP not only in these substantial issues. It is also necessary to work towards ensuring that UEHP is organisationally and economically capable of facing these challenges. This task will hardly be achievable in one term of office of the Board. A medium to long-term period should be considered. Through my work as Vice-President, I would like to work in the next term to ensure that UEHP can grow as an organisation.
How can UEHP best help you to defend the private healthcare sector in your country?
In a system - such as the German one - which is fundamentally open to competition between service providers, the protection of fair competitive conditions against distortions of competition is of enormous importance. Unfortunately, it has been necessary for the BDPK to be involved in litigation on state aid for public hospitals in recent years. Even though some results have already been achieved, the discussion cannot yet be considered closed. On this point, UEHP has supported the private hospital sector in Germany enormously with its activities at the European level. Even though - due to the pandemic - this topic may have taken a back seat at present, it will continue to retain its importance in the future. The BDPK is therefore pleased to see that this topic will continue to be worked on by UEHP.
In my opinion, the pandemic has also highlighted another point that will have to be dealt with at the European level from a German perspective. In Germany in particular, we are currently seeing a discussion on the future structure of inpatient care that could lead to a considerable reduction in care capacities, although it became clear during the pandemic that this is to be regarded as critical from the point of view of care.
However, the question that currently seems to be crystallising in this context in Germany is again not "public" or "private", but rather "centralised care in large units with a few decentralised basic care units" or "decentralised, citizen-oriented care with the necessary focal units". In my opinion, it is clear that this raises the question of existence, especially for smaller and highly specialised units. Even though private hospital operators in Germany are active at all levels of care, the proportion of private units threatened by such a market shakeout is likely to be relatively large.
In view of this threatening dismantling of care structures on the one hand and the importance of these capacities especially for supra-regional disaster management, as in the case of a pandemic, on the other, I think the question must be asked whether the contractually stipulated responsibility of the nation states for the health care system is still in keeping with the times. It would have to be clarified, for example, what right Europe has to have a say in the further development of national health care systems and whether there are principles of health care whose realisation Europe can demand from the member states.
In my opinion, one of the most important tasks of UEHP in the future will be to participate in a comparison and evaluation of the existing health care systems in Europe and to demand the resulting consequences from the point of view of private hospital owners. Here, too, the question will not be "Public or private?" but "How can a modern, efficient and financially viable health system be designed in Europe?
PORTUGAL
Oscar Gaspar, Vice-President of UEHP and President of APHP (Portuguese Association of Private Hospitals)
How would you summarize the place of the private healthcare sector in your country?
The Private hospital sector represents about a third of all hospital capacity in Portugal and we have been increasingly gaining the trust of citizens who choose to be treated in our facilities. Today, private hospitals form networks of modern, differentiated, well-equipped establishments with the capacity to attract and retain highly qualified professionals.
The Portuguese health system is based on the Beveridge model, it has a strong public component and very often there is bias against private participation, but we have worked hard to show that the high investment that private hospitals have made is a very significant contribution to greater access and efficiency, and thus to the sustainability of the health system.
Another aspect that I must also highlight is the participation of private hospitals in all relevant debates on national health policy.
You are Vice-President of UEHP. What would you like to achieve?
The COVID19 pandemic crisis made it even more evident, even among people otherwise distracted, that Health has a fundamental European dimension. The signing of the Porto Declaration is an excellent example of how private players understand and embrace their role to achieve more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive health systems.
Each country is a different reality but there are many common issues, and, in the case of the European Union, Brussels policies are becoming more and more important for all countries (in terms of access and public health but also standardisation, competition, etc.).
UEHP is the voice of private hospitals in Europe and my ambition is that it gains visibility and is recognized by all stakeholders as an active and representative interlocutor, with the capacity to intervene (this requires policy effort, internal cohesion, and communication). Strengthening the UEHP, to be of better service, could be achieved through the reinforcement of the participation of national associations and the ambition to have members from all European countries, and in particular from the EU.
How can UEHP best help you to defend the private healthcare sector in your country?
In Portugal, we consider that our participation in the UEHP is essential to pursue our goals. UEHP enables us to have a voice and ears in Brussels, that is to say, to capture what is being discussed in EU policies and to convey our positions and concerns.
UEHP is also a way to show in our country that the private hospital sector has a significant presence and a strong dynamic in many European countries.
To have, for instance, the President, Dr Paul Garassus, take a public position on the framework of the private hospitals' activity in Portugal was very important for our sector.
UEHP has also been a platform for sharing information (namely on public policies and positioning of private hospitals) between all national associations.
In 2019 we proposed the launch of an initiative: the European Private Hospital Awards, we were pleased to have been entrusted with its organisation in Lisbon and we hope that the project can be resumed shortly after COVID19. We believe that it will help showcase the best achievements of the private hospital sector across Europe and that this event will enhance the work of all national associations.


MEMBER'S CORNER
Shortage of health care professionals in European hospitals
FRANCE
French hospitals of all types are currently experiencing difficulties in recruiting health care staff on contract or on a temporary basis, a historic situation, even though the shortage of doctors and nurses was already present before the crisis. Some institutions are now having to deprogram and close services, sometimes even emergency services, a dramatic situation in terms of public health. Maternity wards are also experiencing the same difficulties with midwives.
How can this situation be explained? The nursing staff is tired after the 3rd wave of COVID and many are currently missing due to sick leave, annual leave, etc. The intensive care units have been under pressure and some young nurses and those in training have been catapulted into difficult units without much preparation. As a result, a number of nurses, including senior nurses, are leaving the nursing profession and choosing to retrain. The nursing training programme offers bridges to Masters level, so that nurses now have other possibilities for retraining and career development. This is a problem that surprised us and was not anticipated at all. Quotas for nursing schools are defined by the government, so this problem is becoming systemic and will not be solved quickly since in France it takes three years to train a nurse”.
Another problem created by the crisis is that laboratories and vaccination centres have been recruiting nurses en masse in recent months, offering working conditions and salaries that hospitals cannot offer. “We would like to see vaccinations provided by other professionals, such as the army or the fire brigade, as there is a lack of nurses in our institutions. The Ministry has its own priorities and this situation is destabilising health establishments, public and private, regardless of their status or type of specialty. The national "Ségur de la Santé" plan granted a salary increase for nurses and a second one is to come, but despite this, we can see that working conditions are important to retain nurses. This is another project...
By Frédérique Gama, President of the French Federation of Acute Care Private Hospitals (FHP-MCO).
GERMANY
Currently, three quarters of German hospitals are having difficulty filling nursing vacancies. More than 40,000 nursing positions are unfilled in old people's homes and hospitals alone according to a BDPK (German Federation of private hospitals) publication. A Federal Employment Agency's current analysis of the skills shortage shows that it takes 149 days to fill a vacancy in the health care and nursing sector. Germany is currently experiencing a major shortage of doctors, nurses and therapists. This gap is widening from year to year. The reasons for this are the increasing number of patients, the retirement of health care professionals due to their age and the reduction of working hours due to changing requirements in working conditions. With a law to strengthen the nursing workforce, the federal government now wants to reduce the number vacant nursing positions.
The Federal Minister of Health, Jens Spahn, sees the working conditions as the trigger for the above-average reduction in working hours for nurses and the shortage of qualified nurses. For the BDPK, the attractiveness of the nursing profession must be increased in order to attract newcomers and returnees to the profession. The BDPK is committed to raising the profile of the nursing profession and developing new and innovative models of task allocation. It advocates also that staff responsibility should go back to the hospitals and that inflexible specifications such as nursing staff floors and staffing targets should be abolished.
ITALY
Entire nursing homes, but also entire wards of accredited private hospitals, are at risk of closure, or at least they are in serious difficulty: the emergency arises from the shortage of health personnel, nurses and doctors. Throughout history, they have preferred to move to the public sector, even on a similar wage.
It is estimated that there is a shortage of around 60,000 units. This alarming situation preceded the COVID emergency, but the pandemic has contributed to increase the problem, exactly when the need to find staff has opened the doors to recruitment in public structures, previously held back by a much slower turnover. This happens precisely when private healthcare is called to play a more complementary role within the National Health Service - more than ever - regarding all those health services sacrificed by the pandemic emergency.
Several Regions have already received pleas from private hospitals, asking for a solution - at least temporary - in anticipation of a long-awaited structural reform. The goal is to ensure the survival and good functioning of private health facilities, especially in a phase in which, within the Health package, the Recovery and Resilience Fund also provides for the implementation of case di comunità. At stake is the grip of a health system where bodies governed by private law and those governed by public law are increasingly complementary and integrated, and therefore the right to care of Italian citizens.
There are several proposals formulated by trade associations to the Regions, such as increasing the number of places in training schools, postponing the entry into service of successful candidates in an open competition, and providing facilities for the return of new graduates from abroad. But, above all, there is the issue of hiring nurses (but also doctors) from abroad, in particular from Cuba. Thanks to a relationship already established with the professionals of the Island, in March 2021 the AIOP has submitted to the Minister of Health a project for the recruitment of specialist doctors and nurses, with costs borne solely by the associated structures. In particular, the AIOP proposes to overcome the bureaucratic obstacles of a timely recruitment. The main one being the temporary recognition of the automatic equivalence of degrees obtained by Cuban professionals, whose level of preparation is universally recognized and who are trained in a system which is similar to the Italian one.
Internally, the AIOP has taken steps to make the connection between the demand for personnel and their availability more agile: this is how AiopJob was born. It is the program that allows AIOP member structures to take advantage of an online database of professionals - owning the qualifications required for a specific profile - available to work in health structures of several Italian regions.


FOCUS
FRANCE
Doctolib
Arthur Thirion, Director of Doctolib France
The COVID crisis has been an accelerator of digital tools within the medical profession, how would you sum up Doctolib's contribution?
During the first lockdown, the Doctolib teams deployed teleconsultation free of charge in 30,000 practices within a few days. Now Doctolib's teleconsultation service is popular with patients: 4.6 million had used it since the service was launched in January 2019, and now 10 million have used it.
We have also launched plans to support private practices to continue to see their patients in their practice during the first wave, thanks to a new management of their diaries with dedicated slots for patients suspected of or suffering from COVID19. We also helped them to resume their activity so that they could restart with their consultations without overloading their workload and in the best possible safety conditions.
We have equipped ephemeral COVID19 consultation centres, as well as emergency services (SAMU) in France, so that their staff can refer patients to medical practices, screening centres or COVID19 private centres.
In November 2020, we developed a vaccination management module integrated into our software for medical practices. Health professionals in the city should then be responsible for vaccination. We are in partnership with 20,000 general practitioners and wanted to help them.
In December, the state of Berlin asked us to open the first vaccination centre in Europe. Then, in January, the French government approached us. The Ministry of Health wanted every vaccination centre to be equipped with online appointment booking.
  • Overnight, we mobilised 300 of our 1,700 employees in the various centres.
  • More than 90% of vaccination centres have chosen to use Doctolib.
  • Today, we equip 1,700 vaccination centres throughout France.
  • Nearly 54 million vaccination appointments have been made on Doctolib (1st and 2nd dose).
What does the post-COVID medical world look like according to Doctolib?
The crisis has highlighted the fragility and vulnerability of our health care personnel at the heart of our health care system and has revealed, in the eyes of the French, their major role.
The need to invest in our health system, in people and in services, particularly in the organisation and "logistics" of the health care system, is now obvious to everyone. These services already existed, Doctolib is accelerating the deployment of these "logistic tools" to help healthcare workers and patients overcome the crisis (teleconsultation, access to the vaccination campaign, etc.).
In the post-COVID medical world, Doctolib thus has a double challenge to meet:
  1. to create the hospital and practice of the future where digital technology leaves more room for the human being, reducing administrative time and therefore freeing up available medical time,
  2. to improve the care pathway and the patient experience.
To achieve this, we are constantly developing our solutions, in co-construction with healthcare professionals, to reduce administrative time and free up time for patients. Our software is perfectly in line with this, helping patients to have better control over their overall health care, and making them actors in their care.
What impact has the COVID crisis had on the national and international development of Doctolib? What are your European projects?
Doctolib was strongly mobilised from the start of the crisis in France and Germany. This led the governments of these two countries to call on Doctolib from the start of the vaccination campaign to support the logistical effort.
We are continuing to develop, serving healthcare professionals and their patients in order to provide access to healthcare for as many people as possible:
  1. With Doctolib Médecin, we have launched a new-generation medical software in France, which is a high-end service to enable doctors to save time and comfort and improve patient care.
  2. With Doctolib Patient, we are working to increase the number of users because making an appointment is the first access to health.
And to do this, we are recruiting 100 people per month.
 
 
AGENDA
 
       
 
15 October – Brussels
UEHP Council Meeting

26 October – Brussels
SHAM Workshop “What have we learnt from the health crisis to reinforce our resilience?”