Fuelling Collective Actions for Desired Societal and Economic Impact

What will health and care (H&C) in the Netherlands look like in 2030, based on the five missions drawn up by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare & Sport and published in the H&C-coalition's Knowledge and Innovation Agenda 2020-2023 (KIA)? This question is answered via inspiring and informative future images developed by experts representing the national H&C-coalition, that has its collective activities coordinated by Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (Health~Holland).

Delve into the future images!


Participating in society

These H&C-2030-images were published on 9 March during the 6th LSH Public-Private Partnership Day. During a live interactive Zoom session, the future images from Missions II and III were introduced in more detail by Hans Rietman (Professor, University of Twente), Roland Friele (Deputy Director, Nivel) and Madelon Kroneman (Senior Researcher, Nivel). Following these introductions, a lively dialogue emerged, moderated by Nico van Meeteren (Executive Director, Health~Holland) between the three colleagues and the live online public.

The session was extra intriguing as Madelon Kroneman almost literally copied parts of the vision of the KIA in her introduction. That is because she represented not just one but two of the main quadruple-helix partners of the H&C-coalition in her roles as both a researcher and an experiential expert using a wheelchair in daily life. Whereas scientists focussed on innovative devices, preventive biomarkers and artificial intelligence, Kroneman was concerned about her participation in society, and more specifically, about her options to join family and friends going out for a drink in the pub every once in a while.

“The vision of the future and an approach for transitions make targeted investments possible, avoid waste of time and money, and bring innovators together with new and creative parties.” - Mona Keijzer, Secretary General Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy

The right contexts and tools

Whereas Mission III strives for a 25% increase of participation in society by 2030 for people with chronic diseases, Madelon deliberated from her own experience. ‘There is still a lot of work that needs to be done to fulfil this mission. Just visiting friends already poses very practical problems. Going by train requires a place to be reserved in advance, and not all train stations are accessible for disabled people’, she states. ‘Moreover, try to build new housing estates so that these are accessible for everyone, so without a staircase at the entrance of the house.

Before disabled people can actually participate everywhere and every time, the right contexts and tools need to be in place. And these need to be highly functional, not just for young and healthy citizens. That means those tools need to be designed to meet everyone’s needs. So please, involve disabled people in the process, and understand their context and lives. That’s how we really solve these issues together!’

Van Meeteren fully agrees with Kroneman. He invited colleagues, professors and companies to sort of ‘’shadow’’ people; spend several days in the lives of people with a disability and then experience how a number of wonderful innovations and technologies are still difficult to seamlessly incorporate into their lives. As Madelon pointed out, simply visiting friends presents many issues. ‘It should be possible in all respects; that should be the future!’

Care in the right place

‘Accomplishing Mission II is absolutely vital’, states Hans Rietman, triggered by questions from the audience. ‘Because otherwise one in four people will have to work in healthcare by 2030, which is both unaffordable and undesirable’, continues Rietman. Mission II’s goal is that by 2030, 50% more care will be organised in a person’s own living environment together with the network of people around them, than is currently the case. But how do we achieve this mission, as explained in the image? ‘Prevention is key, and we need to make use of artificial intelligence’, states Rietman. ‘For example, by measuring data (blood pressure, blood value, etc.) from people in their home situations. Such data can be used to predict the likelihood that a person will develop a specific disease that will eventually evolve into a chronic condition.’

‘Moreover, if you have a certain disease, you don’t need continual hospital check-ups. These can also be done via eHealth tooling in the home environment. Today’s devices permit measuring real-time body movements everywhere using quite simple sampling methods. The patient can then intervene as needed knowing that various remote artificial or professional decision-support options are available. It is envisaged that these tools will help people to adhere to their lifestyle programmes or choose the right nutritional values when shopping, cooking or ordering food at a restaurant.’

And they can also support or coach people in home treatment if that is required. Moreover, in response to one of the Zoom colleagues, Rietman emphasises the importance of public-private partnership contributions to realising these innovative support systems needed to get a grip on the activities, products, and services that will help realise this mission.

“We have to combine both stories, with on the one hand prevention and on the other hand the opportunities in medtech, the physical, administrative and social environments, rules and regulations, finances, etc. And I think that’s the big challenge; to really merge those worlds into one: the real world.”- Roland Friele, Deputy Director at Nivel

Participating in the transition of health and care

Roland Friele points out the need for specific attention for the social aspects of the living environment. He believes that this is just as important as the physical environment, which is in line with a Zoom colleague’s opinion. ‘We should not only think about technological innovation or social innovation as how do we set up a better disability benefit desk?’. Alternatively, everyone should have access to the wide variety of wonderful technologies that have been devised, aided by fair and good prices and payments’, says Friele.

‘So we have to combine both stories, with on the one hand prevention and on the other hand the opportunities in medtech, the physical, administrative and social environments, rules and regulations, finances, etc. And I think that’s the big challenge; to really merge those worlds into one: the real world’, and most of the Zoom audience agrees with him.

Finally, van Meeteren concludes, based on the audience’s enthusiasm and the three colleagues in dialogue, that it looks like everyone wants to participate in the transition of health and care. ‘I am very optimistic about the efforts we are all making in this transition. A lot of people in many roles are willing to cooperate, inspired by the VWS missions and instructed by the future images for these. Therefore, I call upon everyone to join Hans, Madelon, Roland and this national H&C-coalition. Let’s get the job done together and strive for the impact that we not only want but need!’

Would you like to contribute to the dialogue, or do you have any questions, suggestions or comments regarding the missions and their future images? Then please feel free to send an email to kia@health-holland.com. All input will be carefully considered by the H&C-coalition via the executive office of Health~Holland.

This interview is also published in Year in Preview 2021, which is filled with the most important developments in the Dutch Life Sciences & Health sector and provides a glimpse of what’s on the map for 2021. Read the Year in Preview here!

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