The 2023 Dutch Health Week saw thousands of professionals in care and life sciences come together to share the latest insights, innovations, and evidence-based research in a bid to give health in The Netherlands its biggest boost yet.
From the Open Health Lab Symposium where visitors could test, validate, and implement their innovations, to the Mobile Vitality Lab – a specially designed electric powered cargo bike – which comes replete with lots of games, health checks and positive health experiences, there really was something for everyone.
Healthcare exhibitors took over Royal Jaarbeurs for a full week from June 13 onwards. No less than ten startups were able to showcase their innovations in the central Startup Square, introducing them to thousands of potential clients. An initiative like Dutch Health Week is a great opportunity for the teams that develop innovative solutions like HoloMoves, Moveshelf, or Vedea to name just a few.
Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence and data driven applications featured heavily throughout Dutch Health Week. From the booking platform Dytter that empowers freelance care professionals to connect directly with the institutions and clients to the Viduet platform which helps health care professionals monitor and support their patients remotely; tech today is all about smart solutions that help alleviate workload whilst delivering better healthcare.
Other highlights of the Dutch Health Week included the two-day interdisciplinary symposium at the Princess Máxima Centre for Paediatric Oncology which saw Prof. Dr Margiet Schneider of UMC Utrecht deliver an impassioned keynote on the opportunities that technology provides. Digital monitoring that allows pregnant women to stay at home or improved care of premature babies thanks to algorithms that predict sleeping patterns so that nurses needn’t wake them. Sleep, after all, is essential to healthy brain development.
She also made a very strong case for taking control of our data, much as the Dutch Data Vault Foundation aims to do, but then on a dedicated national health platform. By anonymising data and securely storing it on Dutch soil, we start taking control over which research is done with what data and give patients the power to choose what they share with which professional. “We can be grateful to Big Tech for everything it’s made possible… [but] what research questions do we want to ask? What’s important for the Dutch citizen and patient?” asked Prof. Schneider in a recent interview with Dutch Health Hub.
Conny Helder, Minister for Long-term Care and Sport, also pointed to the importance of qualitative data and was keen to know how we can better deploy technology in elderly care. Or as she implored: “There is a natural tendency to make very nice technological applications, but don’t forget long-term care for the elderly! Deploy AI and technology so that the elderly stay healthy for longer.”
‘Doing Business in Europe’ by Health Holland explored the latest trends from Germany, the UK and Scandinavia, whereas Jelle Drijver and Jos Hummelen of ROM Utrecht Region put various health experts through their paces during their live podcast for ‘Pepper’. Sessions such as ‘Meet the Investors’ were a popular addition to the agenda as they connected entrepreneurs with potential investors.
Really, we could go on listing all the wonderful people, talks, and innovations that found their way to Dutch Health Week. It was a celebration of innovation, a connector of people and products, a meeting of hearts and minds. Or as Jeroen van Hooff of Royal Jaarbeurs put it: “We’ve achieved a lot in a short period of time with stakeholders. This is only the beginning. It should become a festival that attracts 50,000 visitors. Lots more people need to know about ‘Utrecht, Heart of Health’.”
Will we be seeing you at the 2024 edition?
