Tagged with Minister,

Spain Madrid’s Minister of Health, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, explains in detail how the Autonomous Community executed a different COVID-19 strategy from other Spanish regions, following a “basic health zones” model, why it might be too soon to speak about “flu-isation”, and their plan to boost home hospitalisation and telemedicine.   We…

Turkey Overseeing healthcare for a population of over 80 million, Turkey’s Ministry of Health was put under the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we highlight four of the hot-button items on Minister of Health Dr Fahrettin Koca’s plate as Turkey emerges from the pandemic period.   Pandemic Learnings A few…

Saudi Arabia In a recent royal decree, Saudi Arabia has appointed Fahad Al-Jalajel as its Minister of Health, replacing Dr Tawfiz Al-Rabia who had served since 2016. Here, we give a quick run-through of Al-Jalajel’s career thus far.   The holder of a bachelor’s degree in computer science from King Saud University,…

Turkey Turkey’s former Minister of Health, Bülent Akarcali, outlines the country’s healthcare system evolution over the past decades, comparing the improvements to the difference between a Ford Model T to a Tesla. In addition, he explains why medical tourism is and will continue to be a big business opportunity for Turkey…

Belgium Belgian Former Minister of Social Affairs, Public Health and Asylum & Migration Maggie de Block outlines some of the key reforms her Ministry has rolled out since she took office in 2014 and the urgent changes to Belgian healthcare that still need to take place.   Along with the Netherlands,…

Belgium The second edition of the European Cancer Forum was held in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday, 29 January 2020. Hosted by MSD in collaboration with the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC), Lung Cancer Europe (LuCE), and Digestive Cancers Europe (DiCE), the theme of this year’s event was “Towards A New Era…

Czech Republic Adam Vojtěch, Minister of Health of the Czech Republic, gives an update on the Ministry’s achievements and directives exactly halfway through his term of office. Highlighting the full implementation of electronic prescription as a key milestone, Vojtěch shares the efforts being put into refreshing the healthcare system, a reform that…

Hungary Dr Ildikó Horvath, Hungary’s State Secretary for Health explains her role and shares insights on the key health trends in Hungary, the government’s top priority in improving healthcare, the importance of digitalization, and efforts made to close the life expectancy gap with Europe.   Hungary is on average five years…

Czech Republic The Czech Republic’s Minister of Health,  Adam Vojtěch, is the youngest in the country’s history and has set out an ambitious reform programme to improve the state of the Czech healthcare system.   In my office, I will actively seek to fulfil the key points of my election program –…

Puerto Rico Dr Rafael Rodríguez Mercado, Secretary of Health for Puerto Rico, explains the priorities his administration has put in place, the impact of Hurricane Maria on the Puerto Rican healthcare system, and the next crucial rebuilding steps.   The next challenge that we have will be regarding accountability, in other words,…

Hungary Hungary’s Minister of Finance Mihály Varga has repeatedly underlined the importance of the pharmaceutical industry to the country’s economy in recent weeks. With this strong governmental backing, pharma stands to increase its standing within the overall Hungarian economy.   Speaking at the inauguration of a new plant for Egis Pharmaceuticals…

Taiwan In an effort to enhance trade and cooperation with other countries in the region and reduce dependency on mainland China, in 2016 Taiwan’s government introduced the New Southbound Policy (NSP). The policy has been designed to leverage educational, technological, and economic assets to enhance Taiwan’s regional integration and increased medical…