Dear President Hilfiker-Kleiner,
Dear Professor Walter,
Dear alumni,
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz was a visionary. One who thought the not yet thought. He paved ways where there was only thicket. He radiated that as a professor, teacher, mentor. Many of you surely remember that.
When I think back to my public health studies with him, a special incident comes to mind. I was pregnant with one of my children but had to do a three-month internship during the birth period. I wanted to give up and postpone by a year. But not Professor Schwartz. He offered me an internship in a research project from the computer, to test a web-based seminar with other European universities and Canada. That sounds trivial today but was groundbreaking in the mid-nineties. He thought ahead and pragmatically solved problems, even for a simple student. And it worked. I did the internship remotely. The child was born healthy.
This is one of many small memories of this impressive man. His achievements go far beyond. He was a pioneer of social medicine and public health. A reformer in healthcare. An innovator. What I want to emphasize is how ethical and social convictions guided Professor Schwartz. For him, the health of the population through good care and prevention was central. Based on reason and evidence. He believed every individual life counts. That all people must have equal chances for a healthy life, dignity, and security. And that special attention must be given to those who have it harder. That was a matter of justice for him.
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
Professor Schwartz shaped my life in ways I could not have imagined then. I would never have dreamed that 25 years later I would experience a global pandemic in reality, not just in a public health textbook. And that I would be partly responsible for Europe managing this crisis. Professor Schwartz was a role model and still is, especially in times like these.
We are at a decisive phase. Since the Enlightenment, progress has driven us to make life better for our children and grandchildren. In recent decades, much has been achieved thanks to Professor Schwartz and others.
Maternal mortality has dropped 40% between 2000 and 2023. Child mortality under 5 has halved. Smallpox was eradicated. Vaccines exist for over 30 life-threatening diseases. Vaccinations have saved over 150 million lives in the last 50 years according to WHO. These numbers give hope and pride. But this will to improve is under strain. The world is in disorder. Wars and geopolitical instability spread hunger and disease. Climate change and environmental destruction increase pandemic risks. Aid and vaccination programs are cut back suddenly. Disinformation threatens global progress against diseases like measles or polio.
We must fear that hard-won gains will be reversed. We must avoid preventable diseases and tragedies. It sounds simple but is difficult. What seems self-evident here is no longer so. We must fight hard to preserve progress and protect fundamental truths.
Professor Schwartz would emphasize four pillars: global responsibility, foresight, innovation, and trust.
Global responsibility means viewing health globally. Protecting people at home requires global responsibility. COVID-19 painfully showed this. The fragmented early pandemic response within the EU was overcome by fairness and solidarity. Europe was the only continent producing vaccines and allowing exports worldwide. We must strengthen global health preparedness, funding WHO, GAVI, and the Global Fund. The Global Health Resilience Initiative aims to eradicate polio and maintain medical supply chains.
Foresight means preparing for future challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss. These increase health risks. We must detect threats early and have diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics, and protective equipment ready. The pandemic taught us the importance of supply security. Europe has built a strong European Health Union and agencies like HERA for crisis preparedness.
Innovation is key. AI is unevenly adopted in the EU but can accelerate health advances. We launched strategies for AI in healthcare, screening centers, and drug development. Innovation must serve people and be responsible.
Trust is vital. The information space is a battlefield with misinformation and manipulation undermining trust in science and health. We must fight disinformation, promote evidence-based health promotion, and empower people to recognize misleading information. Examples from Ireland and the EU show how trust can be restored.
In conclusion, strengthening these pillars will help us face health challenges and secure a better future. Thank you for your attention.
