On 21 February, 2018, Task Force Health Care in cooperation with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Embassy in Brussels organised an economic working visit to Belgium led by Sigrid Kaag, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.
As a neighbour Belgium is a major trading partner of the Netherlands and offers many opportunities close to home. The economic visitor programme focused on innovation and mutual (trade) cooperation in the area of Life Sciences & Health. The emphasis the day was on digital health (eHealth) and regenerative medicine. To learn more about the healthcare system in Belgium, and to meet potential (business) partners, attend interesting seminars and visit a care institution a delegation of Dutch digital health companies and organisations travelled southbound.
Belgium and the Netherlands both face similar challenges in healthcare. In addition, we spend as much on well-being and care and we have comparable market sizes. Belgium, like the Netherlands, suffers from rising health care costs (11.1% of GDP). Over 2 million people in Belgium are above the age of 65, and this will rise to more than 3 million over the next 30 years. For these reasons, Belgium has a strong focus on home care and a larger role for the general practitioner. In order to get acquainted with the latest developments on the digital health market in Belgium and to explore opportunities for business and cooperation, a delegation of Dutch digital health companies and organisations visited our southern neighbours. Welcomed by Jo de Boeck, Chief Technology Officer of IMEC*, attending organisations had a lot to discuss regarding the advancement of digitalisation of healthcare. Over 120 organisations enjoyed a meet & match at the Digital Health Day in Leuven. Main topics included Digitalization in home care as an answer to the needs of both customers and carers, and Value-Based Health Care: Using Data to Improve Outcomes.
*IMEC : Imec is the world-leading R&D and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. As a trusted partner for companies, startups and academia we bring together brilliant minds from all over the world in a creative and stimulating environment. By leveraging our world-class infrastructure and local and global ecosystem of diverse partners across a multitude of industries, we are accelerating progress towards a connected, sustainable future. Read more
