European countries should do a better job of assessing the performance of their health care systems and sharing that information with other states, World Health Organisation (WHO) officials have said, ahead of a ministerial conference next week.
WHO’s regional office for Europe is holding its first ministerial conference on health systems, with the theme "health systems, health and wealth".
The event, hosted by the Estonian government, will take place in Tallinn from 25-27 June.
Speaking at a news conference ahead of the meeting, officials said data collected by health systems across Europe, should be used more effectively.
"Many decisions have been taken without consulting scientific data – evidence which exists proving the cost effectiveness of certain measures over others. We want to improve the part scientific evidence plays in policy making," said Marc Danzon, the WHO regional director.
At the ministerial conference, WHO officials will present a report to participants aiming to place health systems higher on the political agenda.
The report says a large amount of data already exists proving the cost effectiveness of certain measures over others – such as the balance between prevention and intervention – but is often not reflected in health budgets.
Joseph Figuera, director of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, who helped compile the report, said: "Finance ministers see the health systems as a big black hole, but we are saying to them: If you use money more effectively, you will in the end be more competitive in the global economy.”
The report aims to help ministers have a better understanding of the impact of health systems on people’s health, as well as on economic growth in the WHO European region.
Danzon said: “We want the governments to take stock of recent evidence on effective strategies to improve the performance of health systems, given the increasing pressure on them to ensure sustainability and solidarity.”
Health ministers from the 53 member states in the WHO European region will all be present at the event, with up to 500 additional participants also expected to attend.
A webcast of the conference, plus video reports and bulletins, will also be broadcast online.
It is expected that the ministerial conference will culminate in the adoption of a charter on health systems.
The main objective of the charter is to provide guidance and a strategic framework for strengthening health systems throughout the WHO European region. It will also foster political commitment and action, while recognising the diversity of health systems and policy contexts in the region.
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