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.