Health Forum / Lithuania: Creating health for the year 2020 today

The annual Conference of the Health Forum "Creating health for the year 2020 today" will be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, November 29-30, 2012. The main aim of the Conference is to strengthen public private partnership for health using health in all policies approach, including other public sectors and looking for innovative solutions. Key note addresses at the Conference will be delivered by Ms. Zsuzsanna Jakab, Regional Director of World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Ms. Isabel de la Mata, Principal Adviser in Public Health, DG Health and Consumers, European Commission, and Mr. Raimondas Šukys, Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania. "The main aim of the Health Forum is better population health and longevity", says prof. Vilius Grabauskas, the President of the Health Forum. "Health care system is very complex and only involvement of all stakeholders can give the result, which we are aiming at. Therefore, the Health Forum acts as a discussion platform, stimulating active cooperation in search for the most appropriate directions for the development of health policy and leading towards creation and development of innovative health care processes". The Conference will connect health, research and innovation agendas via four thematic blocks. Health 2020 in Europe and Lithuania will focus on the progressive ideas and plans highlighted in the latest health policy documents of the European Union and World Health Organization and will introduce the goals, opportunities and challenges of the newly developed Lithuanian Health Program 2020. The panel discussion will focus on importance of interinstitutional and intersectoral collaboration in implementing Lithuanian Health Program 2020. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and healthy ageing will introduce the European Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, will highlight the national and international experience in the prevention and management of the NCDs and promoting healthy ageing. Panel discussion will involve representatives of health care professionals, patients, public health bureaus and non-governmental organizations and will emphasize their input into prevention and control of NCDs. Value-added health technology assessment (HTA) for health policy will address the major principles of HTA, introduce international examples of good practice, and will emphasize the importance of HTA as a useful tool in consumer protection and a driving force for innovation and efficiency growth in health sector. Panel discussion will stimulate the discussion on urgent issues in HTA, will highlight the needs of patients and will bring examples of intersectoral collaboration. Optimal implementation of innovative technologies will focus on Health Innovations in Horizon 2020, will present the guidelines and major principles for implementation, and will bring the national and international examples of best practice. Panel discussion will be aimed at urgent issues in planning of innovative technologies. Over 350 participants have already registered for the Conference, including guests from the European Commission, World Health Organization, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Latvia, Estonia and other countries, coming from various national and international governmental and non-governmental organizations. More information is available at: http://sveikatosforumas.org/en/conference