THE opportunities for firms involved in the development of one of the fastest growing sectors within healthcare will top the agenda at a conference in Finland this week attended by Health Minister Edwin Poots.
Mr Poots left yesterday for the Northern Ireland and Massachusetts Connection (NIMAC) conference on Connected Health taking place in Helsinki.
Delegates, including key business, health and government figures, from North America and Europe are due to take part in a unique opportunity to share best practice in health and social care.
The field of connected health is a combination of the increasing need to look after people away from hospital where possible and the constant advances in technology that have made remote monitoring and diagnosis increasingly practical and affordable.
Connected Health is one of the key development areas identified by the Matrix science and industry panel and is being pursued by a number of Northern Ireland firms.
NIMAC is a group dedicated to advancing business, research and clinical collaboration, between Massachusetts, Northern Ireland and Europe and during his visit Mr Poots is due to meet with senior Finnish government officials to discuss opportunities to promote health and business through co-operation as well as representatives of the US government.
“It is our aim to bring down the number of patients being admitted to hospital for inappropriate or unnecessary reasons,” he said.
Innovative use of new technology can empower people to manage their own conditions close to home. It is better for them and it is better for our healthcare system.”
Mr Poots said he was keen to learn from other delegates and also to help promote the business aspect for the province.
“Northern Ireland is already leading the way. We are investing £18 million over the next six years in remote telemonitoring which will allow 20,000 people to manage their own conditions. However, while I am keen to share our experiences with our partners in Europe and North America, it is more important that we learn from their experiences, expertise and knowledge. I will be discussing with Finnish researchers the potential for Northern Ireland to become involved in clinical testing of a new diagnostic product for early Alzheimer’s Disease.”
It was well recognised, he said, that economic and health benefits would only arise through effective collaboration between business, academic and clinical stakeholders.
“The advantages of NIMAC to health are, of course, only one area of interest. We hope to work together in areas where both health and the economy can benefit.
“Northern Ireland has a highly skilled and educated healthcare workforce which should be particularly attractive to companies in Health and Life Sciences sector.
“My aim is to increase participation in clinical research which will improve outcomes for patients, create an environment which attracts and retains high quality healthcare staff, attracts inward investment, and assists the development of local enterprises.”