8:30 – 9:00 Registration

9:00 – 9:05 Conference Opening

Nina Išek Međugorac

Assoc. Prof. Irena Hrstić, MD, PhD, Minister of Health

Damir Ivanković, MD, PhD, MBA, Program director of the HealthComm Forum

Healthcare no longer suffers from a lack of topics, but from a lack of aligned values, priorities, coordination, and clear accountability.

In a time of growing expectations, limited resources, and increasingly complex challenges, the question is no longer only what the healthcare system can do, but what it must prioritise and how to define priorities that create the greatest value for citizens and society.

AGENDA: Who sets priorities, defines responsibility and drives the healthcare system?

MSc Francesca Colombo, Head of the Health Division at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Responsible leadership of healthcare systems: Policies, institutions, and the public interest

Healthcare systems are facing rising costs, shortages of healthcare professionals, and increasingly complex population needs, while health outcomes are becoming more dependent on policies beyond the healthcare sector itself.

In such an environment, the role of governments and public institutions is becoming increasingly important – not only as system managers, but also as actors that define priorities, align interests, and protect the public interest in the long term.

Discussion focus:

• What does healthcare system stewardship mean today?
• How can public interest, regulation, and innovation be balanced?
• Who sets priorities and takes responsibility for long-term outcomes?
• Can “Health in all policies” become an operational model rather than just a declarative principle?

(Re)Distribution of roles and responsibilities in healthcare: from principle to practice

Healthcare systems are undergoing major changes in the distribution of roles, responsibilities, and competencies among different professions and levels of care.

Task-shifting and task-sharing are increasingly used as tools to improve access and efficiency in healthcare delivery, while simultaneously raising questions about quality, safety, regulation, and accountability.

Using vaccination in pharmacies as an example, the panel explores how professional boundaries can be redefined while preserving quality of care and public trust.

Discussion focus:

• What can safely be transferred between professions?
• Where are the boundaries between clinical autonomy and institutional accountability?
• Is the legislative framework keeping pace with changes in practice?
• How can quality of care and trust between professions be maintained?

AGENDA: What do we consider the key healthcare issues today?

Tomislav Sokol
“Which priorities does Europe see as the answer to today’s greatest healthcare challenges?”

This keynote lecture opens a critical discussion on how the European Union defines priorities in addressing the greatest challenges facing modern healthcare systems. Europe is seeking sustainable, long-term solutions that go beyond traditional models of care. From the perspective of European policy, increasing emphasis is being placed on prevention, strengthening system resilience, digital transformation, and reducing health inequalities among Member States.

The lecture provides insight into how these priorities are shaped at the EU level, including the key instruments and initiatives supporting their implementation, and how they are translated into concrete national policies and reforms. Particular focus will be placed on collaboration between institutions, Member States, and stakeholders in building healthcare systems that are fairer, more efficient, and more citizen-centred.

Lifelong health: can we move from reaction to anticipation?

Most healthcare systems still predominantly react only once disease appears, even though many health risks are predictable years in advance. The greatest challenges – chronic diseases, multimorbidity, mental health issues, and population ageing – develop gradually throughout the life course, while systems remain primarily organised around episodes of illness.

This panel explores how to build a system that actively manages health throughout the life course, connects data and sectors, and acts before problems escalate.

Discussion focus:

• How can we build an anticipatory, data-driven system?
• Who is responsible for health beyond episodes of illness?
• How can healthcare be connected with other sectors?
• How can systems that reward prevention and long-term outcomes be financed?

Playbook: Obesity 2026-2040

Obesity has become one of the key sustainability challenges for healthcare systems, yet responsibility for addressing it remains fragmented across healthcare, education, industry, local communities, and public policy. At the same time, the development of new therapeutic options, including GLP-1 medications, is reshaping how healthcare systems approach obesity treatment.

The panel discusses how to connect prevention, clinical care, nutrition policies, education, and financing into a coherent and long-term sustainable system response.

Discussion focus:

• How can prevention, treatment, and long-term follow-up be integrated?
• Who coordinates the system response?
• How can new therapies be integrated into long-term care models?
• Are we investing more in treatment than in prevention?

How much health can we afford – or how much value do we create?

The key question is no longer just how much we spend on healthcare, but how much value we create for patients and society. At the same time, a significant share of healthcare spending still goes toward interventions with limited or no benefit, while systems often reward volume of activity rather than outcomes that matter to citizens.

The panel explores how healthcare systems can be redirected toward value creation, reducing low-value care practices, and financing outcomes rather than activities alone.

Discussion highlights:

• What does “value” in healthcare actually mean – and who defines it?
• How can low-value care be reduced?
• How can systems finance outcomes instead of service volume?
• How can we assess whether innovations deliver real value?

AGENDA: How do we move from ideas and technology to real change?

Dr Blerta Maliqi, Head of the Patient Safety and Quality of Care Unit, WHO

Quality, outcomes and value in healthcare: are we measuring what truly matters?

Healthcare systems still predominantly measure volume of activity – the number of consultations, hospitalisations and procedures – even though these indicators do not necessarily show what the system delivers for patients and society.

As a result, there is growing interest in patient outcomes and patient experience as a new foundation for defining the quality and value of healthcare.

Discussion highlights:

• Which outcomes should healthcare systems measure?
• Can PROMs and PREMs become tools for real change?
• Are systems ready to publish results transparently?
• How can quality measurement be linked to financing?

Technology is not reform: how to turn innovation into system change

Healthcare systems today have access to an increasing number of digital tools, AI solutions and new models of care, yet technology alone rarely changes the way systems function. Without changes in governance, organisation and financing, innovations often remain an add-on to the existing system rather than a driver of real transformation.

Special focus will be placed on the role of health data, generative artificial intelligence and European initiatives such as the EHDS in shaping future models of care.

• Discussion highlights:
• Why do digital solutions so often fail to change practice?
• How can data become a strategic resource?
• How is generative AI transforming healthcare systems?
• How can the real value of new technologies be evaluated?

Who shapes health information today? Between public trust and professional responsibility

Health information now reaches citizens through institutions, healthcare professionals, media, social networks and increasingly through digital assistants and AI tools.

In this environment, the boundaries between professional information, public communication and personal experience are becoming increasingly blurred, while the influence of unverified sources and misinformation continues to grow.

The panel explores who truly influences citizens’ health decisions today and how trust in professional health information can be preserved in a digital environment.

Discussion highlights:

• Who shapes health information today – professionals and institutions, or media, influencers and platforms?
• How can trust in healthcare systems, professionals and institutions be preserved?
• Where is the line between responsible communication and sensationalism?
• Do we need a shared standard for health communication, and who should safeguard it?

CLOSING CEREMONY – CALL TO ACTION

HealthComm AWARDS + NETWORKING