| 9 EUROPEAN REGIONS LAUNCH RENEWING HEALTH |
| Written by Euregha | |
|
Venice, 6 February 2010 Nine regions representing as many European countries (Italy – represented by the Veneto Region - Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Greece, Germany, Austria, Spain and Finland) will convene this Monday February at 14:30 at Palazzo Franchetti in Venice to launch a major project named “Renewing Health”, co-funded by the European Union with a total budget of 14 million Euros. Background The Renewing Health Project will implement innovative telemedicine services on a large scale, adopting an approach centred on the patient and accompanied by a rigorous evaluation framework. The nine Regions belonging to the Consortium are considered among the most advanced in the area of ICT (Information Communication Technology). The regions provide healthcare to some 15 million European citizens and manage a healthcare budget which approaches 30 billion Euros. The trials which will be carried out in parallel in the nine participating Regions will involve a total of 7.900 chronic patients of whom some 4.500 are in Veneto. Objectives The project aims at the implementation and assessment of homecare systems which make use of telemedicine to assist chronic patients suffering from diabetes, cardio-vascular or respiratory pathologies. Regione Veneto has been offered by the other Regions the rôle of Project Co-ordinator. A choice – the Regional Minister of Health Sandro Sandri emphasises – which represents a recognition of the excellence shown by Veneto in the implementation of telemedicine so far, which has culminated with the creation and the start of operation of the Arsenàl.IT Consortium. This consortium brings together all the Local Health Authorities of the Region with the aim of continuously increasing the level of synergy in the fundamental new frontier of medicine. Renewing Health – Sandri adds – will give us a further boost because its final effect will be exactly what we were aiming at, i.e. improving the quality of life of patients while reducing the episodes of hospitalisation and limiting the inappropriate use of outpatient consultations with specialists thanks to the use of the telemedicine services already in use in our Local Health Authorities and Hospital Trusts. “I firmly believe that in the future, for the citizen, there is no better option than receiving care at home for all the pathologies which allow this kind of approach.” Also, thanks to the consequences of implementing this European project, in effect, making use of the telemedicine services already on place, patients will be enabled to collaborate with the healthcare professionals in the monitoring of their own vital parameters, helping in this way the treating physicians to evaluate their condition and to detect at the earliest possible time any signal of worsening. The opening press conference of the “Renewing Health” works is scheduled for Monday 8th February at 14.30 at Palazzo Franchetti in Venice. Media interested in the subject are invited to participate.
|