To make this possible, ministers Schippers (Health, Welfare & Sport) and Kamp (Economic Affairs) signed a ‘Health Deal’ on decision support in oncology today, with a large number of parties. This Health Deal is to contribute to the optimal availability of medical information. In doing so, privacy, data protection and patient security must be guaranteed at all times.

During the coming years, all parties; patient organisations, companies, hospitals, medical insurance companies, network- and knowledge institutions and government, commit themselves, from their own areas of expertise, to improve oncology in the Netherlands by developing these kinds of smart decision support. The eventual aim is to make this a sustainable part of our healthcare.

Minister Edith Schippers: "It is amazing that so many parties make an effort to improve healthcare. The medical world is developing at a rapid pace. There is an increasing number of different and specific treatment possibilities. If patients get the best suitable treatment faster, it really makes a difference. And at the same time, it is hugely important that misdiagnoses or wrong treatments are prevented. This Health Deal can significantly contribute to that."

Signatories
The Health Deal is signed by the Ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) and Economic Affairs (EZ), initiators Medical Research Data Management (MRDM) and IBM Netherlands, Academic Medical Center, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Medical Center Haaglanden and Bronovo-Nebo, VGZ Cooperation, Zilveren Kruis, Menzis, Dutch Federation of Cancer Patient Organisations, Health-RI, Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation, Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing and the University of Twente. Other interested parties may join the Health Deal.

eHealth week
The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) organised the eHealth week from 5 -10 June 2016, where users (citizens, patients, healthcare providers and –institutions), entrepreneurs, financers and governmental bodies shared their wishes, ambitions and solutions with each other. This theme week was part of the Netherlands European Union Presidency, containing Dutch as well as international initiatives. The Health Deal on decision support in oncology is the first of its kind. The results from this Health Deal may be applicable to other healthcare innovations that stimulate personalized medicine. During the coming period, multiple Health Deals on different areas of healthcare will be worked on.

Read the full text of the Health Deal here or read the FD article on this Health Deal here. 

Photography: Kick Smeets

"As collaborative partners we have a common goal: developing new technologies that doctors can use in everyday practice to detect and treat cardiovascular diseases at an earlier stage. As a result, patients will be able to receive treatment earlier. That will save their lives or prevent them from becoming even more ill," explains Floris Italianer, director of the Dutch Heart Foundation.

Ton van der Steen, chair of Technology Foundation STW adds to this: "With this special collaboration we are bringing medical researchers, technical researchers, doctors and companies together to find solutions for this major, societal problem. The Dutch Heart Foundation's patients experience and STW's experience of bringing academic knowledge to industry are an asset for this collaboration."

Multi-million investment
The Dutch Heart Foundation and STW previously announced that they would jointly invest more than 4.5 million euros in five new research projects. In 2015 a joint call was published to which Dutch scientists and universities responded in large numbers. The five granted projects concern the earlier recognition of various cardiovascular diseases including heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias. The researchers and entrepreneurs will focus, for example, on improved diagnostics via MRI and CT analyses of cardiovascular diseases and techniques to measure the disposition for cardiac arrhythmias.

This funding partly originates from the Top Sector LSH. Within the top sectors policy of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, public-private partnership takes centre stage. Entrepreneurs, researchers and government join forces to realise more innovations, a stronger economy and solutions for the challenges that society faces. In addition to these organisations, industry is also investing in the five selected research projects.

Bertholt Leeftink, Director-General Enterprise and Innovation at the Ministry of Economic Affairs: "The collaboration of the Dutch Heart Foundation with knowledge institutions, companies and the Top Sector LSH is an inspiring example of public-private partnership. By jointly investing in excellent knowledge and innovation, applications to recognise cardiovascular diseases earlier will become available for patients sooner. With this we are investing not only in a better health of patients, but at the same time we are strengthening the future earning capacity of our economy."

Earlier recognition of cardiovascular disease is a priority
Cardiovascular diseases are one of the most important causes of mortality in the Netherlands. Every day in the Netherlands, more than 100 people die from cardiovascular diseases and 1000 people are hospitalised. Cardiovascular diseases often strike unexpected without clear prior signals. The ‘early recognition of cardiovascular diseases’ is at the top of the Dutch Heart Foundation's research agenda, which was drawn up together with the public in 2014. The Dutch Heart Foundation wants to ensure that cardiovascular diseases are detected earlier so that doctors can intervene in good times and patients receive a treatment that saves their lives or prevents them from becoming more ill. New knowledge must lead to reliable tests to recognise the signs of cardiovascular diseases at an early stage and to determine the treatment strategy.