​Addressing medical deserts and the health workforce crisis in Europe is a joint concern and a joint responsibility. Many different actors need to work closely together and act now to tackle medical deserts in Europe. This was our call to action during our policy dialogue event in the European Parliament in Brussels, on April 27.

To put our call for multi-stakeholder involvement in addressing medical deserts into action, we organized this event, inviting Members of European Parliament in the European Parliament. We were delighted that we were hosted by Member of European Parliament Beatrice Covassi (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Italy). Our moderator, journalist Mariam Zaidi, excellently facilitated the dynamic discussions. Our diverse expert panel reflected on the problem of medical deserts in Europe and explored concrete policy solutions to address them:

• Katarzyna Ptak-Bufkens, DG Sante
• Paolo Michelutti, Coordinator of the new Joint Action on Health workforce planning and forecasting
• Dr John Wynn-Jones, EURIPA, the European Rural and Isolated Practitioners Association
• Tomas Zapata, WHO European Regional office (pre-recorded intervention)
• Dorota Tomalak, Committee of the Regions
• Marina Royo de Blas, DG AGRI

AHEAD project coordinator Aysel Rahimli (of Wemos – lead organisation of AHEAD) set the scene by highlighting the main findings and innovative deliverables of our project, such as the Medical Deserts Diagnostic Tool and participatory consensus building methodology.

The discussions were dynamic, with the panel agreeing that the time is certainly now to address medical deserts. Solutions would therefore be multi-faceted. For example, Dr John Wynn-Jones (EURIPA, the European Rural and Isolated Practitioners Association) stated that so-called ‘urban narcissism’ should be addressed and that it is important for policies to also contribute to making rural medicine attractive. AHEAD project lead, Corinne Hinlopen (global health advocate at Wemos), closed the event with inspirational closing remarks, emphasizing that the momentum for concrete action is definitely here. The end of the AHEAD project therefore does not mean that this topic is closed, it is a start (or as she called, ‘a comma, not a full stop’).

Want to know more or re-visit our event? Have a look at this dedicated YouTube playlist on AHEAD lead partner Wemos’ YouTube channel, which includes (among others) a livestream of the event, a compilation video as well as an interview with AHEAD project lead Corinne Hinlopen about how to keep the momentum for dialogue for action on medical deserts going.

What are concrete action points for addressing medical deserts in Europe, and who should do what? During our final Action for Health and Equity: Addressing medical Deserts (AHEAD) webinar on May 24th, we discussed this question (and more). The recording of the webinar is available on YouTube.

After two years, the AHEAD project is coming to an end in May. What has become clear by now: to address medical deserts in Europe (i.e. areas with limited access to health services), many different actors are required to work closely together and act now. We were delighted that our panelists Dr Branko M. Vujkovic, MSc. (CEO of the Institute of Public Health Sabac, Serbia) and Dr Mira Jovanovski Dašić (Director of the South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) Secretariat) joined us for an engaging webinar with our audience, discussing ways forward to tackle medical deserts in the European region.

Moderator:

Corinne Hinlopen – Project officer for AHEAD (Wemos – lead organisation, Netherlands)

Presentation by:

Aysel Rahimli – project coordinator for AHEAD (Wemos, Netherlands)

Panelists:

• Dr Branko M. Vujkovic, MSc. – CEO of the Institute of Public Health Sabac, Serbia
• Dr Mira Jovanovski Dašić – Director of the South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) Secretariat

With the AHEAD project, we aim to reduce health inequalities by addressing the challenge of medical deserts and medical desertification in Europe. The team behind the project consists of the Center for Health Policies and Services (Romania), Cittadinanza Attiva (Italy), Media Education Centre (Serbia), National School for Public Health Management (Moldova), Wemos (lead partner organisation – Netherlands), and VU Athena Institute (Netherlands).

What are concrete action points for addressing medical deserts in Europe, and who should do what? During our final Action for Health and Equity: Addressing medical Deserts (AHEAD) webinar on May 24th, together with our AHEAD partners, we will dive into this question (and more). We will discuss the key conclusions from our policy dialogue event with Members of European Parliament in Brussels last month, as well as our call to action for concrete policy steps. Want to learn more? Join us on the 24th!

After two years, the AHEAD project is coming to an end in May. What has become clear by now: to address medical deserts in Europe (i.e. areas with limited access to health services), many different actors are required to work closely together and act now. So who should do what? Join our webinar on the 24th to find out and to engage with us and our two panelists: Dr Branko M. Vujkovic, MSc. (CEO of the Institute of Public Health Sabac, Serbia) and Dr Mira Jovanovski Dašić (Director of the South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) Secretariat).

Date: Wed May 24, 2023
Time: 10:00 – 11:15 AM (CET)
Register here: Zoom

Moderator:

Corinne Hinlopen – Project officer for AHEAD (Wemos – lead organisation, Netherlands)

Presentation by:

Aysel Rahimli – project coordinator for AHEAD (Wemos, Netherlands)

Panelists:

• Dr Branko M. Vujkovic, MSc. – CEO of the Institute of Public Health Sabac, Serbia
• Dr Mira Jovanovski Dašić – Director of the South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) Secretariat

Dr Branko M. Vujkovic (MSc) is a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist, and holds a Master in Health Care Management, with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry, and within municipalities with the NGO sector. Over the past three years, he has been the CEO of the district Public Health Institute Sabac in Serbia, leading it through the Covid-19 pandemic. He has experience working on projects with UNDP, UNOPS and WHO. Presently, he is also a PhD candidate at the School of Public Health and Health Management at the Medical faculty, University of Belgrade, focusing on digital health literacy. In addition, he is skilled in the areas of Public Health, Project Management, Healthcare Information Technology (HIT), and Health Services Research.

For over two decades, Dr Mira Jovanovski Dašić has worked as a medical doctor and specialist paediatrician in the public and private health sectors, before her employment with the WHO Regional Office for Europe, as National Professional Officer in Montenegro. She has served as the United Nations HIV/AIDS/tuberculosis focal point for Montenegro and worked as consultant/adviser for various national and international organizations and institutions. She has also served as Deputy Minister of Health and General Director at the Directorate for Bioethics and International Cooperation in the Government of Montenegro. As of March 2017, she is the Secretariat Director of South Eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN). She also has extensive expertise in the development of policies and regulations in numerous areas of public health.

With the AHEAD project, we aim to reduce health inequalities by addressing the challenge of medical deserts and medical desertification in Europe. The team behind the project consists of the Center for Health Policies and Services (Romania), Cittadinanza Attiva (Italy), Media Education Centre (Serbia), National School for Public Health Management (Moldova), Wemos (lead partner organisation – Netherlands), and VU Athena Institute (Netherlands).

On March 16-17^th 2023, AHEAD and the South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) gathered for a two-day roundtable discussion in Tirana (Albania). Attending in-person, AHEAD representative Sergiu Otgon (human resources for health expert, National Public Health Agency, Republic of Moldova) presented our project findings, Medical Deserts Diagnostics Tool and consensus building methodology to representatives of SEEHN. Corinne Hinlopen (global health advocate and AHEAD project lead, Wemos, Netherlands) and Milena Šantrić Milićević  (professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Belgrade, Serbia) attended the roundtable online.

SEEHN is a key stakeholder in our project, as 3 out of 5 project countries belong to this region: the Republic of Moldova, the Republic of Serbia and Romania. Sharing knowledge gained in the project is important to ensure we contribute to solutions to address medical deserts in the South-eastern European region.

Countries in the South-eastern European region struggle with common problems in their health systems, relating to the process of medical desertification, including lack of health professionals, increased distances to health institutions and long waiting lists. National stakeholders are therefore in search of sustainable solutions to medical deserts in this region. The roundtable was a great opportunity to share AHEAD’s added value and the results we gained during the last two years, and to foster future collaborations.

Sergiu Otgon: “This regional meeting was a great success and experience for the Moldovan team and me personally. The knowledge that we shared as AHEAD was met with SEEHN’s professionals’ willingness to listen, learn and implement AHEAD’s key findings, tools and strategies. Being a Member State in SEEHN, stakeholders of the Republic of Moldova will also benefit from the good practices and experiences shared during the roundtable in Tirana.”

Corinne Hinlopen: “I was particularly encouraged by the level of interest in the AHEAD Medical Deserts Diagnostic Tool and the suggestions from the audience on how to improve and refine it. SEEHN demonstrated a keen interest to learn and apply the lessons from our project. Which is encouraging, because many of them struggle with medical desertification themselves. Let’s hope our presentation has sparked action to tackle this challenge!”

AHEAD and SEEHN will continue to support each other and explore collaboration opportunities. Keep an eye out on our website and socials channels!