Swedish Presidency plays host on 22-23 October to the European network of state secretaries responsible for eHealth, which met for the first time in Prague in February this year. The aim is to jointly produce a new European structure for cooperation to implement the Council conclusions in this area that are expected to be adopted on 1 December 2009.
The Council conclusions are scheduled for adoption at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on 1 December. The conclusions are intended to put eHealth on the political agenda and highlight eHealth as a key enabler for various health reforms. They also highlight tangible areas for cooperation and the need for stronger governance and coordination of cooperation in this area.
A series of working sessions and workshops at expert level have preceded the meeting in the summer and autumn. At these meetings ideas and proposals were established among the Member States and background information for a decision has been prepared.

The eHealth concept

The concept of eHealth includes all use of information and communication techno¬logies (ICT) in the health and medical care sector. Examples include electronic health records, electronic prescriptions, digital imaging and health information directed at citizens via web portals. eHealth services facilitate the simple and secure exchange of essential health data between healthcare providers within and between countries. The services can also be used by countries wishing to exchange information electronically for research, follow-up or quality comparison purposes.

For further information, please visit www.se2009.eu

Source: eHealth News.eu