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Celebrating Excellence and Partnership in European Healthcare

Last week, Madrid hosted the fourth edition of the European Private Hospital Awards (EPHA), an event that once again celebrated excellence, innovation, and commitment within Europe’s private healthcare sector. The ceremony brought together around 300 leaders, professionals, and partners from across the continent to recognise the remarkable contributions of private hospitals to the resilience and sustainability of European health systems.

In recent years, private hospitals have demonstrated remarkable adaptability. They have faced the pandemic, demographic change, and workforce pressures with a deep sense of responsibility and solidarity.

Private hospitals are not an alternative to public health. We are partners in progress. We share the same challenges: ensuring universal access to care, addressing workforce shortages, managing rising costs, advancing digital transformation, and promoting environmental sustainability. Above all, we share the same mission — to serve patients and improve lives.

The European Union of Private Hospitals (UEHP) continues to advocate that excellence in healthcare is not defined by ownership but by commitment, expertise, and humanism.

It was within this spirit of collaboration and recognition that the European Private Hospital Awards were created. The idea was simple — yet powerful: to create a platform to celebrate excellence and to give visibility to the extraordinary projects led by private hospitals throughout Europe.

Since its first edition, the Awards have become a benchmark of excellence. Each year brings more applications, more countries, and more inspiring stories of innovation and compassion in care — from digital transformation projects to sustainability initiatives, from outstanding patient experiences to examples of resilience and crisis management. The 2025 edition was no exception, once again proving what can be achieved when professionalism meets passion.

UEHP wishes to express its deepest gratitude to ASPE, the Spanish Private Health Alliance, and to our long-standing partner EY, whose unwavering support since the first edition has ensured the quality and prestige of this initiative.

ASPE had the courage to take on the organization of the event and coordinate this fourth edition of the Awards. We could not have achieved it without their energy, availability, and professionalism. I am very grateful to Carlos Rus, president of ASPE, and to Luis Mendicuti, Secretary General of ASPE and also member of the UEHP board, for their outstanding leadership and coordination throughout this initiative.

The 2025 European Private Hospital Awards reminded us all of one simple truth: healthcare is, and must always be, about people — every professional, every patient, every act of care that changes a life.

At that event in Madrid the winning projects in the 8 categories were announced. I would like to congratulate all the winners and finalists and, on behalf of everyone, especially our colleagues from Ukraine. What a remarkable example and such inspiring words! A true testament to how high-quality healthcare can be maintained even in the most dramatic scenarios. How touching it was to hear the testimony about how important European support is, and how it encourages the citizens and professionals of Ukraine.
We are with Ukraine and we accept the challenge of organizing an event for private hospitals in Kyiv as soon as possible.

PS: October also marked the moment when UEHP became a member of the Cybersecurity Advisory Board established by the European Commission. This is excellent news, as private hospitals in Europe play a crucial role in this process, and we are fully committed to strengthening the cybersecurity of health systems.
Oscar GASPAR
President of UEHP