Barcelona, 15th March 2010

Unusually in matters of European policy, it was an all-girl moment.  

With no disrespect to Marina Geli (Health minister of Catalonia), the Barcelona press conference for the EU declaration on eHealth policy was a chirpy affair with Commissioner Neelie Kroes congratulating ‘Trini’ (Health minister for Spain) on being “appropriately pushy”.

For ‘push’ with a capital P, according to the Commissioner, is exactly what is needed.  Twenty years on from the first EU efforts on eHealth policy and with at least a €1bn spent, there is no time left for excuses.  “Time is not our friend” she said, and “the financial crisis was no excuse for further delay”.

This year’s ministerial declaration wasted no time on a recitation of the issues.

With the EU press conference lead being taken not by a Health Commissioner but by one representing Digital Europe (as well as being European Commission vice president), the need was for coordinated action across the portfolios for energy, education, health, innovation and research, privacy laws and the governance of ethics.   The member states were both thanked for signing up without dissent and put on notice that 2015 was a deadline that should not been taken lightly.

What is at stake is not simply the European world-leading position in eHealth, a fast (if not the fastest) growing economic sector already worth more than €15bn a year, but the dire consequences of aging populations and lifestyle diseases that threaten the sustainability of health services in every EU member state.

On top of the political commitment, the eHealth ministers from every European country signed up to actions to:

•  ‘build acceptance’ of new healthcare practices,
• ‘bring legal and ethical clarity’ in matters of personal data,
• ‘solve interoperability issues’ for the mobility of trans-border services,
• and finally, ‘link eHealth policy to innovation and research’ programmes.

There was, of course, much more – even societal cohesion and inclusion policies got a mention in this determinedly ‘single market’ festival of ministerial girl power – and all (‘the time for debate is over’) to be done and dusted by 2015.

The starting points are, of course, more complex than the direction of travel.

Different national governments are at different stages of evolution in eHealth systems.  Some are not even as far ahead as the UK in the development of electronic health care records – a project which doctors in England last week protested as progressing too quickly !

There are even greater national differences in the provision of modern telecoms infrastructures.  The UK leads in some aspects of eHealth and 'Assisted Living' but lags way behind in being able to connect innovative local services to citizens.

Perhaps the biggest winner in this year’s eHealth push might seem be the mobile phone companies whose lobbying earned them an honourable mention in the ministerial declaration.

Mind you, they should take note of Commissioner Kroes enthusiasm for trans-border service mobility – and her direct call for more experiments in this area.  Our health has no respect for national boundaries or economically unhealthy roaming charges.  Fortunately the Commission is well aware that innovation in mobile infrastructures is no longer the preserve of the incumbents.

There’s no doubt that, as Health ministers travel home, they’ll all be wondering how to convince their citizens (and political colleagues) that their optimism and determination to move forward, and move forward faster, is affordable in the interests of those as yet too young to vote.

Maybe we heard a suggestion from the top table:  focus on the mothers.

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 Picture shows Spanish Health & Social Policy Minister, Trinidad Jimenez, flanked (left) by European Commissioner Keelie Kroes and (right) Marina Geli, Health Minister for Catalonia.

The  European Commission's ministerial metting was held in conjuntion with the World-of-Health IT conference, Barcelona, 15-18th March, 2010