Last 28-29 May 2026, UEHP held its Board and Council meetings in Brussels.
What started as an unexpected issue affecting our premises, quickly became an opportunity to strengthen collaboration and adaptability. Thanks to the generosity and support of our hosts, we were able to continue our important discussions in two outstanding venues.
A sincere thank you to BusinessEurope and to the Permanent Representation of Portugal to the European Union (REPER) for welcoming us and making our meetings possible.
During the meetings, we had the privilege of hearing from two excellent external speakers, Mrs Erica De Loos from the Nederlandse Vereniging van Ziekenhuizen (NVZ) and Mrs Katarzyna Ptak-Bufkens from European Commission’s DG SANTE.
First, Ms De Loos presented the Dutch healthcare system, its organization, financing and priorities. Then Ms Ptak-Bufkens focused on healthcare workforce shortages across Europe and the support initiatives being developed at EU level to help address these challenges by the European Commission.
Their insights greatly enriched our discussions on the future sustainability of healthcare systems in Europe and the key contribution of private hospitals.
Finally, we had the chance to hear from one of our most active members, the Alianza de la Sanidad Privada Española, presenting their project “AVANCE: Competency Development Model for the Nursing Team”, the first sector-wide framework aimed at developing the skills of nursing staff in the Spanish private healthcare sector.
We deeply thank our members for their involvement and participation! The conversations and exchanges once again demonstrated the strength of our European network and our shared commitment to advancing healthcare cooperation across Europe.
