Symposium Zorg Innovatie en Financiering 2025
Eindhoven 27.9.2013
Czech Health Care Experience and Prospects for Common Innovations
Teze vystoupení (prostor pro projev zhruba 5 minut)
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
I am very honoured and privileged to be able to speak here in front of such a well educated
auditorium on the topic: Czech Health Care Experience and Prospects for Common
Innovations. I won’t be long and my speech is rather contemplated as a list of important
thesises which goes well with the pragmatic approach I so admire here in the Netherlands.
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I feel triple joy when addressing you on the occasion of this Symposium; firstly: we are
discussing a highly meritorious topic which is a health care; secondly: record of the Czech
Republic in this field is rather positive; and thirdly: I have a great respect for the company
Cordian and its care concept
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I’d like to introduce you the Czech Republic as a healthy and innovative partner with a lot
of potential for cooperation upon the field of RaD, particularly related to the health care
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Majority (more than 80%) of external economic activity of CR is oriented towards the
European Union, primarily to the neighbouring Germany, the Netherlands holds in terms
of foreign trade the 10th place, (in 2012 Czech export 3,9 billion and import 3,7 billion
euro according to the Czech statistical office)
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Bilateral trade in the health care equipment is largely in favour of the Netherlands, 43
million euro against 8 million euro of Czech export in 2012; Nevertheless, one items
stands out in the Czech export and it is blood transfusion instruments totalising 80% of all
Czech export of health equipment items
Now let me give you a few specific examples of the Czech healthcare success stories – my
two most favourite ones are:
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First, LINET (Group SE with Headquarters in Dordrecht, Netherlands), supplier of
hospital beds and beds for residential and social care. As a company reference in the
Netherlands, I can mention Orbis Medical Park in Sittard and Hospital Tergooi in
Blaricum
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Second, in order to illustrate a long tradition of advanced research in organic chemistry
and bio chemistry in our country, let me just mention one name: Professor Antonín Holý
(unfortunately passed away last year) who had made many discoveries leading up to
development of several antiviral substances. People around the globe know drugs against
AIDS (Truvada) and Hepatitis type B (Hepsera), which were discovered in his “home”
Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry.
The other examples could be following:
- ELLA-CS which is represented in almost 50 countries over the world and has mainly
focused on the gastrointestinal stent production (distributed in the NL by Mermaid
Medical BV).
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SOTIO is a biotechnology company that is developing a next generation Active
Cellular Immunotherapy (“ACI”), focusing on the treatment of cancer and
autoimmune diseases (start-up company owned by PPF Group N.V., Strawinskylaan
933. 1077XX Amsterdam).
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Zentiva, the third largest and fast growing generics company in Europe and with
origins dating back to the 15th century (Zentiva N.V. Fred Roeskestraat 123 ,
Amsterdam, 1076 EE , Netherlands).
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Proton Therapy Center, an advanced clinical centre with the newest and highly exact
technology for treatment of patients with cancer by proton beams.
I should also mention at least two of our successful universities contributing to the
research in the healthcare:
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Charles University founded in 1348, with its three Faculties of Medicine
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Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, with its monumentally successful
Chemical Robotics Laboratory.
Allow me to give an outline of the main features of the Czech Health System
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The Czech health care system is characterised by relatively low health care
expenditure, share on GDP roughly 7%, while EU average is 9-11% (Eurostat figures
2009). On the other hand, our health care system in considered as highly developed
and effective in international comparison.
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Some important health indicators are better than EU average such as mortality due to
respiratory disease or even among the best in the world in terms of infant mortality.
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Houses for elderly people had in 2011 capacity of 37 616 places and utilisation rate
was 97.1% (Ministry of Social Affairs)
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The total social expenditure as a percentage of GDP in Czech Republic in 2010 was
20,1%, in Netherlands 32,1% (Eurostat 08/01/2013)
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Expenditure on care for elderly according to Eurostat was in 2008 in CR 0,54 of GDP,
in NL 0,72% , one of the reasons could be that it is much more common for families in
CR to take care of its parents
Now, allow me to give you some examples of future highly advanced R & D
infrastructure in the Czech Republic which are still under construction and have or
may have a substantial impact on medical care and are co-funded by the EU:
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Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI): the most intense laser facility world-wide.
ELI-Beamlines will support advanced applied research in a number of areas, including
Medical image-display and diagnostics, Radiotherapy and X-ray optics.
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Biotechnology and Biomedicine Center (BIOCEV), key areas: Functional
genomics, Cellular biology and virology, Structural biol. and protein engineering, and
Biomaterials and tissue engineering.
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Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), key areas: Nano- and
microtechnology, advanced materials, Structural biotechnology, molecular biology,
genomics, Brain and mind research
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International Clinical Research Centre (ICRC, in cooperation with Mayo Clinic,
USA), Main goals: prevention, early detection and high-quality treatment of
cardiovascular and neurologic diseases.
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I do hope that next time I shall be able to welcome at least some of you in mentioned
Czech centres of excellence and reciprocate thus the warm receipt I have got here
today
It will be an honour and pleasure for me to inform our relevant institutions about the
outcome of this important Symposium and I wish you success in your deliberations.
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Thank you for your attention.