ICT&health will be opened on Tuesday by the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport. Also present are, among others, Bianca Rouwenhorst (Director of Information Policy at the ministry) and the Kings Commissioner in Limburg, Governor Emile Roemer.
In Maastricht, policymakers, healthcare professionals, administrators, researchers, and technology partners come together to work on solutions scalable within the Netherlands, Europe, and beyond. The congress is explicitly not a trade fair but an international working conference. Together, they look ahead and think forward about the future of healthcare – from AI, data, and robotics to remote care, elderly care, labor market, and administrative burden reduction. ICT&health thus strongly contributes to optimizing healthcare chains, which will face significant challenges in the coming years.
ICT&health sets the tone
The international and administrative significance is evident from the presence of leading speakers and participants, including Larry Brilliant (epidemiologist and former director of Google.org), Ernst Kuipers, Edith Schippers, Daniel Kraft (NASA, specialist in AI and biotech), representatives of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the European Commission, and previous contributions from organizations such as WHO, Mayo Clinic, Philips, Google, and Epic. The congress is also a great opportunity for the top university hospitals in the Netherlands to discuss current challenges together.
Networking place
Besides the public program, more than 150 work sessions and consultation moments take place between governments, university medical centers, healthcare institutions, and companies. This makes the congress not only a podium but also a place where policy, cooperation, and investment choices are actively prepared. Innovations first shown here have previously found their way faster to international healthcare practices.
Relevance
Worldwide, healthcare systems are under pressure due to aging populations, staff shortages, and geopolitical tensions. Europe actively seeks strategic autonomy and cooperation in digital healthcare. With ICT&health, the Netherlands positions itself as a country where these issues are concretely and internationally developed, with visible impact.
Province supports
The role of Limburg is essential in this. Thanks to administrative vision and active support – including Governor Emile Roemer – the province profiles itself for the third year in a row as a host region for international cooperation. The choice for Limburg makes ICT&health deliberate: a neutral, open, and internationally oriented meeting place full of ambition.
Roemer: “What happens at the end of January in Maastricht is exceptional, strategically very relevant, and socially necessary. Healthcare chains are under pressure, and together we help with solutions. We do this as part of a longer line in which Limburg and the Netherlands show leadership in global healthcare transformation.”