The Ministry of Health in Valletta today held an open day to formally-launch the eHealth week that will take place between 10 and 12 May.

Addressing the press conference, Minister for Health Chris Fearne said: “It is an honour that our country will be in holding such a prestigious event, in which technology in health will be discussed. In the near future Malta will be launching its first Digital National Health Strategy for the next five years. It is also noteworthy that the revamped myhealth system has increased drastically its users from a mere 1,500 to more than 21,000 users in the last year. Over 1,500 delegates will be discussing the pivotal role of information technology and data in Malta in May”.

Head of Unit of eHealth, Wellbeing and Ageing, DGCONNECT, European Commission, Miguel Gonzalez-Sancho-Bodero said: “Technology today offers unprecedented opportunities for the health and care of citizens across Europe, and the explosion of data is one of the main enablers of this. It is for this reason that data will be the key theme which we will be addressing at eHealth Week between the 10th and the 12th of May in St. Julians, Malta. eHealth Week is the most important eHealth event in Europe, and the Commission will be represented at the highest level, with the attendance of Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis”.

On his part, Unit Leader of  eHealth and Innovation at WHO/Europe Clayton Hamilton said: “In addressing what is special about eHealth Week in Malta, we feel it will be an excellent opportunity to highlight the critical role of public health and strengthening the common agenda for eHealth in Europe. At WHO/Europe, we are honoured to be collaborating with the largest European partners for the delivery of eHealth Week 2017”.

Vice President of Public Affairs at HIMSS Europe Christina Roosen added: “eHealth Week will gather Europe’s most influential stakeholders during a three-day conference in May, which will address the most prominent topics in healthcare IT today, as well as the challenges we are facing in Europe. The use of data in health will be the focus of this year’s conference as a main enabler of the improvement of patient care. We look forward to welcoming health and IT professionals from Europe and beyond in Malta this May”.