Health Care Systems DON"T Repair Themselves

I was fortunate to interview Dr Nick Guldemond, a transformational leader in healthcare reform this term. He works closely with a global network at Leiden University, primary care communities, and other European experts in the field of Vitality and Ageing. Together they collaborate and work diligently to identify the best technology, investments, requirements and contributions at a national, regional and community level for their cause. “How to connect, align and involve seniors while coupling different initiatives, while striving for an integrated, connected, cost effective and efficient healthcare system is our ultimate end goal,” he reveals.

According to Dr. Guldemond policies and systems matter in order to make healthcare efficient. He further stresses, “Proper care and prevention is often not well organized and that is why education on the understanding of all these interrelated aspects involved in successful ageing and its supportive healthcare is so important.” “Working on solutions for healthcare involves collaboration, better integration and co-creation between trained professionals, the government, technology and ultimately the patients.” He is inspired by the energy and eagerness to change in younger generations, and I gauged him to be unpretentious. He believes that Central Eastern European countries are more complex and innovative in change, and that fragmentation and system dysfunction forms an integral part of the problem. His work experience in different countries and diverse cultures has pointed out the importance of the human factor, a willingness to collaborate and to identify patient needs. “This human interest promotes flow, it provides inertia bound to experiences, and the diverse exposure provides alternative routes and resilience,” he acknowledges.

Dr. Guldemond is convinced that the Netherlands have all the ingredients to create a healthcare system that functions perfectly around a centered technological support system, but still lack both creative-energy from the bottom, and policy-guidance from the top. In his opinion, “Working on solutions for healthcare involves collaboration, better integration and co-creation between trained professionals, the government, technology and ultimately the patients”. Photo provided by Dr. Nick Guldemond This points out the importance of effective integration of innovation and investments towards further education in order to merge these different ‘worlds’ involved in a successful healthcare system for the ageing society. His advice to young professionals that want to make a difference, is to voice their opinion and get involved, because healthcare systems don’t repair and change themselves...