For three days, the MECC Maastricht will be transformed into a meeting place where “the future of healthcare” is not an abstract concept, but a conversation that is taking place right now. From 27 to 29 January, the ICT&health World Conference will bring together thousands of professionals at a time when digital healthcare, large-scale data analysis and clinical AI are no longer promises for the future, but technologies that are already affecting lives today. Chair Sunnie Groeneveld opened the conference.
According to her, what sets this conference apart is not only its scale, with around 10,000 participants and approximately 150 breakout sessions in both Dutch and English, but above all the composition of the audience. By this she meant that during the conference there are no separate islands of the healthcare sector, but a concentration of policymakers, healthcare professionals, administrators, innovators and technology experts in one room. This creates space for discussions about the healthcare system. Discussions that often remain unaddressed in daily practice.
Curiosity and experimentation
The conference exudes a different mindset than that of everyday healthcare, where precision and flawless work are a necessity. Groeneveld said that experimentation is allowed in Maastricht. Curiosity is central: visitors are invited to play, try things out and wonder what these technologies could mean for their own practice or organisation at the innovation stands.
After the opening by chair Sunnie Groeneveld, Emile Roemer, governor of Limburg, took the floor as the second speaker. With visible pleasure, he welcomed the international group to Maastricht and Limburg: ‘the third edition of the ICT&health conference and exactly in the right place.’
Roemer positioned Limburg as the centre of the Netherlands: "Where The Hague sometimes seems far away, Limburg positions itself as the heart of Europe. Millions of people live within a radius of Maastricht, right between Belgium and Germany. This cross-border location is no coincidence, but a strength. Cooperation does not stop at national borders, especially when it comes to health and well-being," said Roemer.
Collaboration
His message was clear and socially conscious: health is not separate from the circumstances in which people live. Those who are concerned about income, opportunities or education find it difficult to live healthily. That is precisely why, according to Roemer, joint solutions are needed: ‘Only by working together, regionally, nationally and Europeanly, can the major challenges in healthcare be tackled.’
Data, ICT and technological innovation play a key role in this, but according to Roemer, they only work if people and organisations are able to find each other. He pointed to initiatives in Limburg, such as the Brightlands campuses, where governments, knowledge institutions, medical centres and companies work together on technological innovation that matters to society. With his call for connection, collaboration and ambition, Roemer gave the conference a clear starting point.
Paradox
Bianca Rouwenhorst immediately set the tone in her speech by outlining a recognisable paradox: nowhere is information as crucial as in healthcare, and yet that information is often too late, incomplete or simply unavailable: "That is a problem, especially for professionals who want to deliver the best for their patients. Whereas banking, travel and online purchases can be arranged with just a few clicks. Healthcare lags behind significantly, even though it concerns what is most precious to us: our health and that of our loved ones."
This urgency is at the heart of the digital transformation that she believes the Netherlands and the rest of the world are in the midst of. Pressure on the healthcare system is increasing: demand for care is growing, staff are in short supply, care is being delivered in increasingly complex networks and administrative burdens remain high. Against this backdrop, digitisation is not a luxury, but a necessity. Rouwenhorst referred to the national vision and strategy on health information, which provides direction for a future-proof information system: accessible, secure, user-friendly and inclusive, so that everyone can participate.
Digital maturity
She talks about the concrete steps that have already been taken: ‘More and more people are gaining access to their own health data, such as GP records and vaccination information, through personal health environments. Progress has also been made behind the scenes with national infrastructures for data exchange.’ At the same time, Rouwenhorst was honest: digital transformation rarely proceeds in a straight line. The scaling up of digital and hybrid care is uneven, depending on digital maturity and organisational strength.
It is precisely these bumps in the road that make it clear what is needed, she said: ‘The lessons of recent years are sharpening the focus. That is why the coming period marks a shift from plans to practice: from vision to action and scaling up.’ According to her, it is now important to make visible how policy is implemented in the workplace, how organisations and ICT systems are being prepared for data flows. ‘And how technology supports healthcare professionals, not replacing them, but strengthening them,’ said Rouwenhorst. Her message thus became a sober call for joint action, precisely at the intersection where ICT&health stands.
