HIMSS Europe, European Commission to stage joint conference in 2010

November 07, 2008 | Chip Means, New Media Manager

Suggested Content

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- The annual World of Health IT conference andexhibition will not be held in 2009, but will share a stage with theEuropean Union's eHealth Ministerial Conference in 2010, EuropeanCommissioner for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding announcedtoday here in Copenhagen.

HIMSS Europe, the European Commission, the Ministry of Healthand Consumption of Spain, and the Government of Catalonia will hold thejoint conference in Barcelona, Spain, March 15-18, 2010.

In addition to provider and vendor efforts, it takes "a lot ofpolitical will" to advance eHealth, said Reding in her plenary address.The speech served as a prelude to the announcement, during which shestressed the importance of cross-border interoperability.

"We are now at a stage when member states and regional healthorganizations understand the need to share information," Reding said.Ensuring that these issues are tackled effectively is "where theEuropean Union can provide value."

Michael Strübin, exeuctive director for HIMSS Europe, said,"The benefit of (the joint event) is that the eHealth high levelconference has not always had an industry exhibition and will now havereliable access to the WoHIT exhibition, and the WoHIT exhibitors willappreciate the extra number of attendees that the eHealth conferencewill bring."

The last high level eHealth Ministerial Conference was held inMálaga, Spain in 2006, and hosted about 1,500 attendees and 14Ministers, said Pablo Rivero, director general for Quality of theNational Health System, Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs forSpain.

"We are especially proud of the European Commission'sinvitation to host this important high level conference just four yearsafter the successful experience of the eHealth Conference 2006 inMálaga," said Rivero. "eHealth is at a very exciting juncture in Europeand we look forward to playing an active role in shaping this debate in2010 and beyond."

"The World of Health IT provides a valuable platform forgovernmental leaders, such as myself, to share our experiences in ICTfor health and to learn from the experiences of others," said JoanGuanyabens, secretary of Strategy and Coordination, Department ofHealth for Catalonia.

Reding said in a press conference following the announcementthat the location and logistics of the show beyond 2010 have not beenworked out, but that the joint show will certainly continue if it'ssuccessful. "It's my dream to always have this collaboration ofMinistry on one side and technology on the other," she said.