During the three-day international ICT&health World Conference in the MECC in Maastricht, the international healthcare world gathers in the Netherlands. The congress aims to contextualize the global challenges of healthcare transformation as well as present proven solutions, developments, the added value of digitalization and global cooperation. Some 10,000 people from the Netherlands and abroad are expected to visit the congress. An impressive boost for the province of Limburg, where the Brightlands Health Campus has strong ambitions and developments in the field of smart healthcare innovations.
Global transformation hub
The main goal of the congress is to enable cooperation and upscaling the transformation of healthcare, with the Netherlands as a global hub. In addition to an extensive international program, the congress also has a Dutch program to highlight developments in the home country and meet relevant network partners.
Tom Xhofleer, founder of ICT&health, argues that smart technologies, regulations such as the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and the recently adopted ‘WEGIZ’ law (electronic data exchange in healthcare), but also innovations and collaborations are changing the way we provide and receive healthcare substantially. In the Netherlands and internationally.
"It is crucial to let all international initiatives, knowledge, visions and concrete elaborations come together in order to facilitate further development. Only then can we take a big step forward in international healthcare innovation, putting the Netherlands firmly on the map as a global healthcare innovation and transformation hub. A country that has an enormous amount of expertise, experience and solid examples to innovate healthcare. Other nations therefore have a lot to pick up and learn from us. And vice versa, of course. So it is about time to invite the international healthcare world to join us."
Limburg invests
“ICT&health deliberately chose to organize the three-day international congress in the province of Limburg. The province, willing to invest as well, is aware that healthcare needs to innovate, with technology playing a major role”, says the King’s Commissioner in Limburg, Emile Roemer. "Limburg leads the way when it comes to innovations that make the world more sustainable, smarter and ready for the future”, regional minister for Economy, Stephan Satijn, adds: "On our Brightlands campuses, research and education go hand in hand. The fact that the leading healthcare innovation congress ICT&health comes to Limburg endorses our ambitions. In addition, it is of course fantastic that visitors from all corners of the world are going to be learning about our province and will be enjoying their stay here."
Great challenges
Helen Mertens, board president of the Maastricht medical center MUMC+ : "We face major challenges in healthcare and are about to meet the limits of our capabilities. The increasing demand for care and its complexity, the tight labor market and an aging population require healthcare innovation and creative solutions. We will really have to approach things differently in order to keep healthcare accessible and affordable. I am absolutely convinced that with digitalization and smarter use of data we can make healthcare future-proof. From remote monitoring via your phone to the use of artificial intelligence for better and faster diagnostics. We want to lead the way in digital healthcare transformation with this region and as a university medical center. The fact that this international congress has landed in Limburg underlines that we are working hard to realize our ambitions. In the interest of a healthy and vital society.”
