The South Eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) Member States and partner countries representatives gathered in Trieste to gain a first-hand experience in developing community mental health services and occupational health through integration practices.

In her opening address Dr Dasic director of the SEEHN Secretariat highlighted that the SEEHN Secretariat has been working very hard in the past year to be able to deliver as many activities as possible beneficial to its member states. One of them was to arrange a study visit on mental health to Trieste for mental health experts from South Eastern Europe. .

Under the leadership of Dr Dasic, the SEEHN Secretariat organized this study visit, as the Trieste model is acknowledged academically in the world. It was a multi-stakeholder partnership between the SEEHN Secretariat, the Central European Initiative, and the Secretariat of WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Training in Mental Health, Trieste, Italy.

The mental health experts engaged into vivid discussions about the challenges, progress, and policies that shape mental health services in the SEE region versus the Trieste history and progress up to today’s success.

The specific objective of this project was to strengthen the capacities of the experts and decision-making level in SEEHN Member States by acknowledging the best practices in community mental healthcare and by drawing applicable models to the specific SEE Region in the local and community prospective.

As the mental health is a vital aspect of our overall well-being, the South Eastern Europe Health Network remains committed to supporting countries in this transformative process. Bosnia and Herzegovina, regionally being the champion for the last two decades in the mental health reforms, remains devoted to lead it while holding the SEEHN Presidency.

The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) has just published the results of a survey conducted in 2022 among states who are members of both the South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) and the Council of Europe. The main objective of this initiative was to assess the implementation of pharmaceutical care (PC) in daily practice, with special attention to the process and services described in Council of Europe Resolution CM/Res (2020) 3 on the implementation of pharmaceutical care for the benefit of patients and health services.

To summarise the results, awareness and implementation of PC and related services varies significantly in the region. Shortcomings are frequently due to the absence of regulations or healthcare policies, the lack of data on the proven benefit of PC, the lack of computerised systems and/or IT tools, and the lack of access to patient medical records. A full analysis of the results can be found in the survey report (link below). Wider dissemination of the resolution and broad promotion of the PC concept are needed in SEEHN member states.

Pharmaceutical care is a quality concept and a working method for health professionals involved in prescribing, dispensing and administering medicines. In short, it is the responsible provision of medicine therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient’s quality of life. It involves a process of direct co-operation between pharmacists, other healthcare professionals and the patient to design, implement and monitor a therapeutic plan intended to achieve those outcomes by addressing the medication needs of patients in a comprehensive manner and using a patient-centred approach. Implementation of PC in the SEEHN member states will allow this approach to strengthen healthcare systems through more efficient interprofessional collaboration, leading to a more rational use of medicines and better health outcomes.

Download the full report: “The implementation of pharmaceutical care in daily practice in SEEHN member states”.

Happening now!

South Eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) Member States (ALB, BIH, ISR, BLG, MNE, MKD, MDA, ROU, SRB) in partnership with Ministry of Health of Slovenia, representatives of the Institute of Public Health, partner organizations as WHO Regional Office for Europe, CEI, OECD, European Commission, the Council of Europe, convened at a high level meeting, on 4 and 5 December 2023, in  Brdo Congress Centre, Slovenia. 
The meeting is co-organized by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia and the SEEHN, along with the National Institute of Public Health and the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

 Health is a principal and widespread value in every society as well as a fundamental human right. As such, it must be safeguarded with particular attention and caution. Health systems are in the forefront to implement this task. Almost all healthcare systems are facing challenges related to the post pandemic period, climate changes – marked with catastrophic natural disasters worldwide and with the megatrend of the aging of the population.

 The main objective of the high-level meeting is to present and discuss:

• strengthening the healthcare systems within SEE and beyond, for more resilience and better preparedness for possible future shocks and crisis,
• solutions for persistent health workforce shortages,
• establishing or strengthening trust among the various stakeholders in our healthcare systems.

The participants at the event will additionally discuss the potential of digitalization in healthcare, the questions related to the uninterrupted access to medicines, as well as, issues concerning medicine supply chains, where the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic will be shared.

 Stay tuned for the main outcomes!