At the 2024 Healthcare Forum organized by the American Chamber of Commerce, Janko Burgar, the Strategic Healthcare Innovation Lead of Roche Slovenia, spoke about the need for closer collaboration and better as well as more efficient application of innovation in order to ensure the effective functioning of healthcare systems.
According to him, the healthcare system is the main creator of wealthfare of society. If the healthcare system is not functioning well, people are unable to contribute adequately to their country and economy.
Burgar noted that in many European countries, there is significant movement about the importance of wider understanding, maintaining, protecting, and adequately positioning the healthcare system, as it is a critical sector. Funding is the part of this process since the budget is the clear indicator of the country’s priorities. “Healthcare is, in fact, a strategically important area for the state, and when we look at the European Union as a whole, it is one of the most crucial elements for overall development and stability in Europe.”
He believes that the governments of European Union countries should focus more on encouraging people to stay in their home countries and work there. “Everything begins with health. This also includes smart investments in the healthcare system and data driven solutions. Health is a cross-sectoral issue and should, therefore, be the focus of many more ministers than just the health minister. In my view, in Estonia, ministers responsible for economic affairs, education, aging population and finance should also be involved in the well-being of the healthcare sector as it is an important socio-economic category,” he argued.
In Slovenia, 58,000 people are on sick leave every day on average, and this number increases by 2,400 annually. In Estonia, 17,000 people per year take long-term sick leave. “In other European Union countries, these numbers are also very high. Looking at these figures, it’s clear that this a great opportunity for improvements and the area where we have a significant problem, and this problem doesn’t just affect healthcare — it has a direct impact on employers, the country’s economy, tax revenue, voluntary work, and more. This is further confirmation that the challenges in this sector are not solely for the health minister to solve.”
More meaningful collaboration
Burgar pointed out that in various countries, including Slovenia and Estonia, the private sector wants to contribute more significantly to the healthcare system, but the public sector has not yet fully adapted to this proposal for collaboration to join forces for the benefit of society. “Politicians and the public sector organize discussions, draft documents and strategies, and think about how to communicate all these activities. In my view, more thought should be given to how to genuinely listen to other stakeholders and foster meaningful dialogue with concrete action items at the end.”
Healthcare stakeholders are often overlooked or not given enough attention. “It is not true that the private sector only thinks about increasing profits. They genuinely want to collaborate and share their knowledge and experience. The private sector has a wealth of experience, data, and ideas, crossing national borders — and countries like Estonia and Slovenia as well should make much greater use of these available resources,” he said.
Focus on data and artificial intelligence
Burgar mentioned that in the coming years, the main global focus will be on innovation, data, and artificial intelligence, and the healthcare sector is closely tied to this. “Data-driven decision-making and artificial intelligence are our future, whether we like it or not. The private sector already has invaluable experience in this area, so I see more substantive cooperation here as well — not just purchasing services, but ensuring that once a service is procured, there are people with the right mindset and experience to implement these systems effectively.”
Therefore, when thinking about innovation and data-driven solutions, it is not enough to just purchase different services and products — experienced professionals – change managers and adequate leadership in the institutions are also needed. “A lot of development is hindered by the fact that although a product or service is purchased, it is not properly implemented or utilized. I believe we also need people with the right mindset in the healthcare system for this.”
At the healthcare forum of the American Chamber of Commerce, one of the ideas discussed was the change in the healthcare funding model — whether Estonia, for example, should consider moving from a fee-for-service model to a bundled payment model. “Slovenia started this process three years ago, creating a separate working group to collect information, analyze it, and then make recommendations on where and how to begin. Now also the Ministry of Health has a special task force on this topic. I think the model change is a good approach, and patients will benefit greatly from it.“
He added that for various countries, including Estonia, the approach to changing the model should likely involve a gradual implementation, and each country should first determine in which specific areas it would be most sensible. “In Slovenia, it is already considered that a model change is the future, and they are moving forward with it.”