Healthcare reform brought out into the open

Health Innovation Aarhus gathered companies, Aarhus Municipality and Central Denmark Region at Dokk1 on Wednesday, April 15. to discuss how Denmark’s upcoming healthcare reform will be implemented in practice.

The event was designed to bring companies working with health solutions into direct dialogue with decision-makers responsible for the healthcare system.

The discussions took place against a backdrop of increasing demand for healthcare services and a workforce under pressure.

Chairman of the Regional Council in Central Denmark Region, Anders G. Christensen, pointed to the need for faster progress:

- We need to shift gears. If it takes another 30 or 35 years to move forward, we will be left behind.

He added that new approaches can challenge existing perceptions:

- What may seem impersonal from the outside can, in practice, give people more freedom. We also need the courage to take solutions into use.

Getting solutions into the system remains a challenge

Participants from companies raised questions based on their experience with developing and testing solutions. Several pointed to the challenges of moving from pilot projects to wider implementation and of navigating structures and processes in the public sector.

Aarhus City Councillor for Health and Care, Metin Lindved Aydin, referred to differences between sectors and the need to bridge them:

- We need to take the best from both worlds, the stability of the public sector and the agility of the private sector. And we have to ask whether what we do actually makes it easier to be a citizen.

He also highlighted the importance of hearing these perspectives directly:

- When we hear the concrete challenges, it gives us something we can act on.

On stage, Anders G. Christensen and Metin Lindved Aydin were joined by Christian Boel, Director of Health and Care in Aarhus Municipality, and Jonas Dahl, Regional Chief Executive of Central Denmark Region, who shared their perspectives on the reform and the practical work taking place within the healthcare system.

An open conversation

According to Signe Rønn Sørensen, Chair of the Board of Health Innovation Aarhus and Director of Health and Care in Aarhus Municipality, the aim was to create a space where perspectives could be shared openly, and she described the event as a success.

- There is a real desire to succeed together, and a willingness to challenge each other. That is what moves things forward, she said.

The event was part of Health Innovation Aarhus’ work to connect public and private actors and support collaboration around healthcare innovation.