This year the South-Eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) and the European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) supported the participation of three SEEHN representatives in the EHFG 2024. Under the main theme “Shifting sands of health – Democracy, demographics, digitalisation”, two participants attended from the Ministry of Health, Romania: Mrs. Mihaela Gîză, Head of the International Relations and European Affairs Unit and the national focal point for communication or public relations, and Mr. Bogdan Vinersar, Director for regulatory and medical professional training direction. The third representative was Mr. Ardit Gabili, Adviser to the Minister`s Cabinet, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Albania. This participation was made possible by the SEEHN Secretariat funding and EHFG support to strengthen cross-border collaboration in health diplomacy and regional public health efforts.
Mrs. Gîză and Mr. Gabili also participated in the EHFG 2024 Capacity-Building Initiative, a 1.5-day pre-conference workshop focused on “Inclusive Dialogue in Difficult Times”. The initiative explored the topic of „Deep Democracy”, a facilitation method that emphasises the importance of minority voices in decision-making processes and is designed to bring out underlying motives and opinions to reach more inclusive and informed decisions that reflect a broad consensus and effectively utilise a group’s diverse perspectives. This experience will undoubtedly enhance the future work of the participants, enabling SEEHN to continue to have a profound impact on regional health cooperation, resilience-building, and promoting inclusive health policies.
The European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) [https://www.ehfg.org/] is widely recognised as one of the leading health conferences in the European Union, and aims to provide a neutral and inclusive platform for the discussion and advancement of health, solidarity and equity in the EU and beyond. With the founding principle of the equal representation of all stakeholders, it brings together stakeholders and decision-makers from the public and private sector, civil society, and science and academia, who together form the four pillars of the EHFG with their specific perspectives and knowledge.. The participation of representatives from Romania and Albania, supported by the SEEHN, underscores the network’s commitment to fostering cross-border cooperation and knowledge exchange in the shifting sands landscape of health policy and public health.
