Session 18

Investing in our healthcare heroes

Supporting, training, and retaining the healthcare workforce

Organised by European Institute of Health and Sustainable Development

Before the COVID-19 pandemic we often applauded sportsmen, artists, and performers. Today, people across Europe are applauding doctors and nurses as enthusiastically as their favourite footballers or musicians, and the respect is well deserved. The world is slowly moving towards recovery from one of the biggest crises since World War II, largely due to the professionalism and sacrifice of health personnel.

The pandemic has transformed our understanding of heroism, but what comes after the face masks and nightly clapping for healthcare workers have vanished from European streets and memory? The long-term path towards a healthier European workforce is not going to be easy.

How to reward the sacrifice of medics and provide the mental health support they deserve? How to retain healthcare workers and provide better, safer working environments? What policies are needed to improve conditions for millions of informal carers? How to tackle health personnel shortages and balance the commitment to Universal Health Coverage with free movement of medical professionals?

This session will discuss these questions and more with the input of intersectoral experts as well as you, the EHFG participants, and chart a course towards a sustainable future for the European healthcare workforce.