Global

Views on the role of MedTech in solving global or regional health issues.

51 blogs about the topic

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Global

Posted on 01.02.2017

We’re living longer – but can we live better?

Most Europeans born today will live into their eighties but behind that impressive statistic lie inequalities and ill-health. It’s time we focused on adding life to years instead of years to life. In 1990, life expectancy at birth was 74.1 years in Europe. Today, it’s 80.9. This is a remarkable achievement, by any measure. However, […]

By Gary Finnegan Health Journalist

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Global

Posted on 11.01.2017

Great expectations for 2017

As ‘thinking season’ kicks off, the focus is on how technology and big data can deliver better value healthcare to more people than ever before. January is a time for reflection, planning and predicting what lies ahead. It’s the season for assessing the mega-trends that will shape our future and working out how we will […]

By Gary Finnegan Health Journalist

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Global

Posted on 24.11.2016

4th industrial revolution: driving sustainable development

For the first time in history, a major industrial change is taking place in parallel with a global push towards a shared vision of the future. The 4th industrial revolution can be harnessed to address global development goals How can Europe make the most of the technology changes that are afoot? I would share some […]

By Robert Madelin Chief Strategist, Fipra International

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Global

Posted on 06.09.2016

European patients call for a joint EU strategy on patient empowerment

Since the beginning, patient empowerment has been a central pillar of the European Patients’ Forum (EPF)’s vision and mission. Our aim is to promote patient-centred health systems involving patients in the decision-making and management of their condition. Following a consultation with our members, we decided to strengthen this commitment by setting up a one-year campaign […]

By Nicola Bedlington Secretary General of EPF

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Global

Posted on 05.02.2016

Why diagnostics is important in dealing with the Zika threat

In the last few weeks we have seen the emergence of a new global public health threat, the Zika Virus (ZIKV). Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) are monitoring the spread of the Zika, a mosquito borne arbovirus. The WHO recently declared the diseases linked […]

By Jesús Rueda Rodríguez Director International Affairs MedTech Europe

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Global Value

Posted on 09.04.2014

Ebola Epidemic: Insights from a health expert in the field

For the first time in West Africa, a case of Ebola was confirmed on 21 March, three weeks after the first alert of a possible viral haemorrhagic fever emerged from Guinea’s Forest region. Animals such as fruit bats, rodents and monkeys, abundant in the adjacent rain forest, are believed to have served as ‘reservoir’ for the virus. However, once it passed from an infected animal to a human-being, the virus is now ready for human-to-human transmission. Though frightening and very lethal, relatively simple precautions can break the cycle of transmission and stop the epidemic from spreading. Dr Jean-Louis Mosser (JLM), health expert from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), is in the Guinean capital, Conakry, where he has been participating in crisis meetings and guiding ECHO’s response. He gives us a state of affairs.

By Anouk Delafortrie Regional Information Officer for West Africa

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Global

Posted on 24.03.2014

HIV 101: Tuberculosis and HIV, a Killer Combination

Today, March 24, is World TB Day. We’re examining the link between HIV and tuberculosis (TB) infections and how, by fighting these diseases together, we can create a generation free of HIV and TB!

By Johanna Harvey Senior Communications Cfficer

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Global Value

Posted on 28.02.2014

Rare Diseases: Anything but rare

In linguistics, describing a word as a false friend implies that despite similarity in spelling or pronunciation, it actually has distinct – sometimes even contradictory – meanings in different languages. Describing rare diseases as ‘rare’ creates a similarly false association, one which implies they have a limited impact and scarcely occur. Drawing such a parallel does not reflect the reality for the approximately 30 million European citizens who have received a rare disease diagnosis. For them, a rare disease is anything but rare. Instead, it is an often long and terrifying crossing into largely unchartered waters that are characterised by a lack of information, specialists’ know-how and effective treatment. 

By Magdalena Kalata EDMA, Public Affairs Officer

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Global Value

Posted on 12.02.2014

New Technologies Only Succeed in Context

I overheard a debate at a breakfast meeting at the World Economic Forum Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China that went like this:

“The market won’t accept a malaria vaccine that costs more than $.40 a dose.”

“But that’s not possible, why can’t we just start solving the technical problem and then figure out how to pay for it?”

By Randy Schwemmin Director of Technical Operations, D-Rev