AmCham Health Care Council held a focused expert roundtable on priorities for the Czech health care system
AmCham Health Care Council led by AmCham Board of Directors members Michala Malát, Executive Director Johnson & Johnson MedTech and Václav Novotný of Aspironix held a roundtable on the future of health care at Deloitte offices in Prague. We appreciate very much the insights of the expert panel.
The situation in the Czech Republic is not sustainable, although "there is enough money". In terms of performance, Czechia is doing well, the quality of care is high, together with Slovenia, but to achieve progress, Czechia should benchmark with Germany and Austria. The Czech system is inefficient. There is enough medical staff in absolute numbers, but a lack in relative figures - the issue of distribution of doctors - there is not enough nurses, and the patient's entitlement to health care services is not defined specifically. Effective use of personnel, multidisciplinar teams, effective communication of strategies, digitization of health care, prevention of major diseases in general population and more challenges are there to be tackled.
A political consensus of strong political players, if not all political parties, on strategic priorities that would survive several election periods is necessary. Trade unions and professional associations should be part of the solution, as well as patients, citizens. "More money in the system" does not necessarily solve some problems, especially those that arise because the system allows or even creates them.
The key target areas are efficiency, quality (disease management) and related digitization as interconnected areas. Participants listed priorities for the respective sectors of health care that they represent, and we will continue to work with the outcomes of the session.
Thank you to our honored guests for their expert insights and condensed summaries:
MUDr. Pavel Hroboň, M.S., řídící partner a interní lektor, Advance Healthcare Management Institute, člen Národní ekonomické rady vlády (NERV),
MUDr. Jitka Vojtová, MBA, zdravotní ředitelka, Oborová zdravotní pojišťovna zaměstnanců bank, pojišťoven a stavebnictví,
doc. MUDr. Martin Balík, Ph.D., EDIC, Klinika anesteziologie, resuscitace a intenzivní medicíny 1. LF UK a VFN, předseda České společnosti intenzivní medicíny
Ing. Antonín Hlavinka, ředitel Centra digitálního zdravotnictví LF UPOL, náměstek ředitele pro informační technologie Fakultní nemocnice Olomouc,
MUDr. Ing. Michal Šnorek, Ph.D., předseda představenstva, generální ředitel Nemocnice České Budějovice a.s.,
PhDr. Martina Šochmanová, MBA, prezidentka České asociace sester, náměstek ředitele pro ošetřovatelskou péči a kvalitu - hlavní sestra, IKEM,
Mgr. David Kolář, výkonný ředitel Asociace inovativního farmaceutického průmyslu AIFP,
MUDr. Miroslav Palát, MBA, prezident Asociace CzechMed, Česká asociace dodavatelů zdravotnických prostředků,
Edita Müllerová, místopředsedkyně Národní asociace pacientských organizací NAPO.