21–22 April 2022, Brussels, Belgium
Hybrid event
On 21–22 April in Brussels, Belgium, WHO/Europe will convene its first-ever expert meeting on the role and future of hospitals in the WHO European Region. This is the first international meeting on hospitals held by the World Health Organization.
Hospitals play a critical role in the wider health system and are key to achieving universal health coverage. Hospitals provide continuous medical care and support to communities across the Region and have been at the heart of the COVID-19 response, delivering life-saving care to patients.
However, the pandemic has pushed many hospitals in the Region to the brink of collapse and exposed gaps in hospital structures and systems. Furthermore, the humanitarian emergency in Ukraine is now putting additional strain on hospitals and health systems in many countries in the Region.
WHO/Europe is convening this expert meeting at a critical time to take stock of lessons learned over the past 2 years and rethink the role of hospitals in preparing for and responding to current and future crises.
About the meeting
Global and regional experts in health systems and hospital management will gather for the 2-day event to identify the key challenges hospitals face and the ways in which they relate to wider changes in national health systems. The meeting provides a neutral platform for participants to discuss how all stakeholders can work together collaboratively and strategically to shape the future of hospitals in the Region.
As a result of this meeting, WHO/Europe aims to identify areas where more work is needed and where WHO/Europe can provide additional support and technical guidance to countries in the Region.
Topics that will be covered during the workshop include:
- drivers of and opportunities for change in the role and scope of hospitals;
- hospital workers and workforce;
- quality of care in hospitals and the impact of COVID-19 on quality;
- digital health and technology; networks and groups;
- hospital buildings and infrastructure;
- the role of hospitals in the wider economy;
- hospital governance;
- payments, financing and the role of public–private partnerships in the hospital sector; and
- shaping and defining WHO’s role in relation to hospitals and health systems.
The workshop will lead to new WHO technical guidance that will support countries wishing to invest in the hospital sector and explain how to do so effectively and sustainably.
An updated event agenda will follow.