The BSPC Working Group on Innovation and Health Care was launched by the 22 BSPC in Pärnu on 27 August 2013. Olaug Bollestad, Norway, was Chair of the WG (since March 2014) and Wolfgang Waldmüller, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, was vice Chair. Between the launch of the WG and the appointment of Olaug Bollestad as WG Chair, Raimonds Vējonis was WG Chair until his inauguration as Defense Minister of the Republic of Latvia and later-on President of Latvia.
The overarching objective of the Working Group was to elaborate political positions and recommendations pertaining to innovation in health care systems and services and innovation in social welfare systems and services, with focus on elderly people. The Working Group and its members aimed to raise the political attention on innovation in social and health care and contribute to the exchange of knowledge and best practices within its area of responsibility. For this purpose, the Working Group established and maintained contacts with relevant institutions, organizations and other actors in the Baltic Sea Region.
The BSPC Working Group on Innovation in Social and Health Care (WG ISHC) held its inaugural meeting in Riga on 4 November. The meeting was led by the WG Chairman Raimonds Vejonis. The meeting appointed Olaug Bollestad, Norway, and Wolfgang Waldmüller, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, as vice Chairmen. An expert presentation on "Innovation in Social and Health Care - An Ecosystems Approach" was delivered by Thomas Karopka, Project Manager of ScanBalt HealthPort. The presentation can be retrieved from “Presentations” under “Related Information”. The meeting was primarily devoted to a reconfirmation of the WG mandate and deliberations over its scope of work, priorities and mode of work.
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The BSPC Working Group on Innovation in Social and Health Care held its second meeting in Tromsö on 27-28 March. The meeting unanimously elected Ms Olaug Bollestad, Norway, to succeed Raimonds Vejonis as Chair of the WG, sine Vejonins was appointed Minister of Defence of Latvia in January 2014. An opening expert presentation was provided by Ms Pille Kink from the Estonian E-Health Foundation. After the meeting, the WG made a study visit at the Norwegian Centre for Integrated Care and Telemedicine, where briefings were given on coordinated care and demographic challenges in rural areas, telemedicine innovation and implementation, flexible e-learning in health care, homecare and prevention, and barriers and legal aspects of cross border telemedicine.
The BPSC Working Group on Innovation in Social and Health Care convened its third meeting in Birstonas, Lithuania, on 19-20 June 2014. The meeting itself was preceded by an extensive study tour of the balneological and rehabilitational resort of Birstonas, with several sanatoriums and a wide range of high-quality recreational, rehabilitational and medical services (see www.visitbirstonas.lt). The WG meeting received initial greetings from the Mayor of Birstonas, Ms Nijole Dirginciene, who is also President of the Lithuanian Association of Resorts. Her introduction was followed by a presentation on The Role of Resorts in the Baltic Health Tourism Sector by Ms Jurgita Kazlauskiene, Vice President of the European Spas Association. The WG meeting primarily engaged in deliberations over the WG Mid-Way Report, to be presented to the 23rd BSPC in Olsztyn on 24-26 August 2014, and its first set of Political Recommendations. The WG agreed on a draft report, to be revised and then submitted to the 23rd BPSC.
The BSPC Working Group on Innovation in Social- and Healthcare held its fourth meeting in Copenhagen on 13-14 November 2014. The meeting itself was preceded by a visit to Steno Diabetes Centre with the focus on lifestyle-related diseases / diabetes and innovation. Steno Centre is a world-leading institution within diabetes care and prevention. It is owned by Novo Nordisk AS and is a non-profit organisation working in partnerships with the Danish healthcare system. The Working Group meeting started with a presentation by Vincent Giele, Hospital Solutions Director for Northeast Europe in Medtronic. Medtronic is the world’s largest medical technology company, offering innovative therapies to fulfil a mission of alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life. Their medical therapies treat cardiac and vascular diseases, diabetes, and neurological and musculoskeletal conditions. The second expert presentation was given by former Swedish minister, Bo Könberg, on his report on closer healthcare cooperation in the Nordic countries over the next 5-10 years. The report was submitted on 11 June 2014 and it contains 14 proposals.
The BSPC Working Group on Innovation in Social- and Healthcare also had a study trip to the HUNT research institution on 5-6 March 2015. The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (The HUNT Study) is one of the largest health studies ever performed. It is a unique database of personal and family medical histories collected during three intensive studies. The fundamental strategy is to earn and maintain the confidence of the population we work in and with as is necessary for any successful population study. This strategy has been successful and has resulted in extraordinarily high participation rates. There is enthusiastic public and political support for HUNT and for the HUNT Research Centre. This has created a good basis for further health surveys in the county and an excellent research environment. The WG also visited Levanger municipality to hear about the municipal sector’s plan for health and welfare services, the Municipal Master Plan as a strategic tool to promote public health and health equity, and the new Norwegian Competence Centre for Arts and Health. Levanger aims to include the health perspective in all local policies.
The BSPC Working Group on Innovation in Social- and Healthcare held its fifth meeting in Tampere on 16-17 March 2015. The meeting itself was preceded by a study tour of the Vaccine Research Centre and the Tampere University Central Hospital. The Working Group was briefed by Auli Pölönen, Clinical Nutritionist at Pirkanmaa Hospital District, on the Prevention of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases. The second briefing was given by Maarit Varjonen-Toivonen, Chief Physician at the Centre of General Practice in Pirkanmaa Hospital District, on electronic reporting linked to Operations Planning & Budgeting on the Communal Level. At Tampere University Hospital the WG members received a briefing on the hospital and were then informed about diabetes research and vaccine development against type 1 diabetes by Vesna Blaževi?, Head of Laboratory, and Heikki Hyöty, Professor at Tampere University Hospital.
The BSPC Working Group on Innovation in Social- and Healthcare held its sixth meeting on the Åland Islands on 11-12 June 2015. The meeting itself was preceded by a study tour of Healthcare Clinic Medimar and Åland Central Hospital. The Working Group was briefed by MD Mathias Grunér, CEO Bimelix, on the Bimelix Laboratory and the Medimar Borrelia Clinic. Bimelix Biomedical Laboratory is based in Åland and provides laboratory services in microbiology for healthcare in Finland and other Nordic countries. Most importantly, it possesses unique expertise in tick-related diseases and specialises in Lyme disease. Prof. Dag Nyman from Medimar followed up with a presentation on lyme borreliosis. It is the most common vector-borne infectious disease in northern Europe. At the Åland Central Hospital MD Katarina Dahlman spoke about challenges with a hospital on a small island. The hospital is responsible for all public healthcare on the Åland Islands. Doctor of Infections, Marika Nordberg, followed with a presentation on tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) on the Åland Islands. Associate Professor of Surgery, Mr Haile Mahteme, shared his thoughts with the WG members on why he believes health professionals on Åland care more about their patients’ wellbeing than elsewhere. Finally, the Åland Minister for Health, Ms Carina Aaltonen, spoke about Public Health on the island.
The Working Group presented its Final Report at the 24th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference on 30 August - 1 September 2015 in Rostock.
The Points of Contact for the Working Group:
Julie Helmersberg Brevik International Department Stortinget N-0026 Oslo Norway Phone +47 9808 6137 Julie-Helmersberg.Brevik@stortinget.no
Florian Lipowski Landtag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern / Administration Schloss D-19053 Schwerin +49 385 525 1533 florian.lipowski@landtag-mv.de
Related News
Printed version of Final Report of BSPC WG ISHC now available
In preparation of the 24 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Rostock on 30 August – 1 September 2015, the BSPC Working Group on Innovation in Social- and Healthcare has published its Final Report on its activities throughout the two-year mandate of the WG as well as on its political recommendations for the conference. The WG Chairman, Ms Olaug Bollestad, will present the Final Report at the conference in Rostock. The report contains two parts: the printed Volume I entails the main conclusions of the WG, challenges and potentials it sees as well as political recommendations in the field of social- and healthcare. Volume II is a complementary addition to the Final Report, providing an in-depth overview of the activities of the WG, the expert presentations received, and the homework it compiled in preparation of its meetings, and – for now – is an online-version only. Both volumes can be downloaded on the Working Group’s webpage .
BSPC WG ISHC meets for final meeting on Aland
The BSPC Working Group on Innovation in Social- and Healthcare came together on the Aland Islands on 11-12 June for its sixths and final WG meeting. After thorough two-day deliberations the WG members agreed on the Final Report of their activities and conclusions, as well as on their political recommendations, which are incorporated into the draft resolution of the 24 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, to be held in Rostock 30 August – 1 September. After the meeting the WG members met with Ms Britt Lundberg, the Speaker of the Aland Parliament. The Final Report of the Working Group can be accessed on the Working Group’s webpage .
BSPC WG ISHC meets in Tampere
The BSPC Working Group on Innovation in Social and Healthcare came together for its fifth meeting on invitation by the Finnish Parliament in Tampere on 16-17 March. The meeting was preceded by a study tour of Tampere University Central Hospital and expert presentations on the prevention of diabetes & cardiovascular diseases and on electronic reporting linked to operations planning & budgeting at the communal level. The Clinical Nutritionist in Pirkanmaa Hospital District briefed the WG members on a program for the prevention of type 2 diabetes in Finland. The program has shown the magnitude of the diabetic epidemic in Finland, and has since been adopted in most Finnish health care centers for screening and interventions, has been included into local and regional prevention care protocols, and has further been adopted for the prevention of other non-communicable diseases. Most importantly, the project has shown that large-scale screening and effective lifestyle intervention for preventing type 2 diabetes are possible also in primary healthcare settings. The Chief Physician at the Centre of General Practice in Pirkanmaa Hospital District then briefed the WG members on electronic health reporting. The expert demonstrated that only when the promotion of welfare becomes an integral part of the operational and financial planning of local authorities and is linked to the preparation of the local budget, do local strategies and strategy work underlining the importance of welfare become serious politics. At Tampere University Central Hospital, the WG members received presentations about diabetes research and vaccine development at the hospital against type 1 diabetes. The insights gained in Tampere will be considered for the Final Report of the WG, which will be further elaborated during the remainder of the mandate of the Working Group, to be presented at the conference on 30 August – 1 September in Rostock-Warnemünde. The Working Group debated extensively over the overall content of the report and agreed to focus especially on innovation, cooperation, prevention, health economy, treatment, ethics & values. The sixth and final meeting of the Working Group will be held in Mariehamn on 11-12 June.
BSPC WG ISHC meets in Copenhagen
The BSPC Working Group on Innovation in Social and Healthcare came together for its fourth meeting on invitation by the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen on 13-14 November. The meeting was preceded by an extensive study tour of Steno Diabetes Centre. The members received presentations and discussed a wide array of topics, including the effectiveness and outcomes of diabetes management at Steno, pathways of patient care, public-private partnerships, patient education, and community-based diabetes prevention. The meeting was held at the premises of the Danish Parliament, where the WG members were first briefed on innovation and cooperation between the public and the private sector by Medtronic’s Hospital Solutions Director for Northeast Europe Vincent Giele. Medtronic is the world’s largest medical technology company, offering innovative therapies to fulfill a mission of alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life. The meeting also met with former Swedish minister Bo Könberg, who has elaborated an independent report on ways in which the Nordic countries can work more closely together on health over the next 5-10 years. The report includes 14 concrete proposals and the WG members discussed among others how these insights could be applied to the whole Baltic Sea Region. The next meeting of the Working Group will be held in Finland on 16-17 March 2015.
WG ISHC meets in Birstonas
The BPSC Working Group on Innovation in Social and Health Care convened its third meeting in Birstonas, Lithuania, on 19-20 June 2014. The meeting itself was preceded by an extensive study tour of the balneological and rehabilitational resort of Birstonas, with several sanatoriums and a wide range of high-quality recreational, rehabilitational and medical services (see www.visitbirstonas.lt). The WG meeting received initial greetings from the Mayor of Birstonas, Ms Nijole Dirginciene, who is also President of the Lithuanian Association of Resorts. Her introduction was followed by a presentation on The Role of Resorts in the Baltic Health Tourism Sector by Ms Jurgita Kazlauskiene, Vice President of the European Spas Association. The WG meeting primarily engaged in deliberations over the WG Mid-Way Report, to be presented to the 23 rd BSPC in Olsztyn on 24-26 August 2014, and its first set of Political Recommendations. The WG agreed on a draft report, to be revised and then submitted to the 23 rd BPSC. The next meeting of the WG will be held in Denmark in fall 2014.
BSPC WG ISHC meets in Tromsö
The BSPC Working Group on Innovation in Social and Health Care held its second meeting in Tromsö on 27-28 March. The meeting unanimously elected Ms Olaug Bollestad, Norway, to succeed Raimonds Vejonis as Chair of the WG, sine Vejonins was appointed Minister of Defence of Latvia in January 2014. An opening expert presentation was provided by Ms Pille Kink from the Estonian E-Health Foundation. After the meeting, the WG made a study visit at the Norwegian Centre for Integrated Care and Telemedicine, where briefings were given on coordinated care and demographic challenges in rural areas, telemedicine innovation and implementation, flexible e-learning in health care, homecare and prevention, and barriers and legal aspects of cross border telemedicine. The next meeting of the WG will be convened in Birstonas, Lithuania, on 19-20 June.
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