Mr. Nielsen, Minister, ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for the introduction and warm welcome.

As patron of Healthcare Denmark, it is a pleasure for me to open this panel debate on “Smart Hospitals and Future Healthcare”.

When it comes to healthcare, Denmark and the Netherlands have many similarities. Both nations believe that access to high quality healthcare is the backbone of any well-functioning society. And both of our nations believe in the power of digital innovations to drive and form the future of our healthcare sector.

Yes - we share many similarities, and we also face similar healthcare challenges. Ageing populations, shortage of healthcare professionals and increasing costs of treatments are just some of those shared challenges.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, both of our nations looked for new MedTech and Healthtech solutions that were rolled out at unprecedented speed and built on impressive public-private-partnerships.

The pandemic also reinforced how critical a strong and well-functioning healthcare system is.

We have a lot to learn from our international partners – and at the same time Denmark has a great deal of knowledge, know-how and solutions that can inspire and benefit other countries.

The many challenges we are facing increase the demand for medical technology and digital solutions to optimize patient flows and ensure the highest quality of care in hospital and at home.

For example, robotics can contribute to lightening the work of healthcare professionals, and digital monitoring ensures giving care in the safe and comfortable surroundings of a patient’s home. I am pleased that developers of such-innovations are present here today.

To ensure our healthcare systems are fit for future demands, it is important that we cooperate and learn from each other’s experiences.

I am delighted that public and private stakeholders from Denmark and the Netherlands are here to share knowledge and innovative models for developing the best possible solutions with the patient – the person at the centre of treatment and care.

I’m sure the coming days will serve to highlight where the opportunities for deepening collaboration and cooperation between our two nations lie.

Let us work together to make our healthcare systems fit for the future and with focus on person-centred care.

May your time together today be insightful and productive.

Thank you.

 

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