Brussels, 09/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - The inter-ministerial meeting on eHealth and the World of Health IT conference and exhibition will take place at the same time in Budapest on 10-12 May. “eHealth Week” is one of the most important global events in applied information and communication technology (ICT) in the area of health care.
ICT currently plays a central role in addressing the numerous challenges facing healthcare systems across the EU, including an ageing population, a rise in chronic diseases, budget cuts, and a shortage of healthcare workers, by, for example, allowing remote diagnosis, remote monitoring of patients' conditions and secure sharing of patient records between healthcare professionals. The huge potential for the development of eHealth will be the main theme of this year's event, which is expected to attract over 2,500 participants. On Tuesday 10 May, EU health ministers will discuss how eHealth can contribute to ensuring the sustainability of health systems in the member states. At their meeting, they are expected to approve a statement on how eHealth can improve services for patients. Encouraging eHealth is a key objective of the European Commission's digital agenda. It was in 2004 that the first eHealth action plan was launched and, since then, it has been added to with targeted policy initiatives aimed at fostering the widespread adoption of eHealth technologies across the EU. Recently, the Commission launched an online public consultation, which will run until 25 May. Submissions will feed into the preparation of the eHealth action plan 2012-2020 which it will bring forward before the end of 2011. (I.L./transl.rt)