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Governments should release national health systems from centralised control and management allowing them to concentrate on providing core services such as A&E, medical research and treatment for complex and life-threatening conditions, the International Conference, hosted by Benenden Healthcare and the Association Internationale de la Mutualité (AIM) in York was told.

 

Moving to a structure in which national health systems deliver core services with other services offered locally would change the terms of debate on healthcare and more closely align delivery to funding, the conference heard.

 

Delegates from 18 countries including China attended the conference held in conjunction with AIM, a trade association for mutual health insurance and social protection bodies. The Right Honourable Kevin Barron MP, Chairman of the House of Commons Health Select Committee was the keynote speaker.

 

The conference focused on the pressures from increased longevity, new technology and increased demand which are affecting health systems throughout the world. Benenden Healthcare Society Chief Executive Colin Christopher Bennett outlined the challenges facing the UK National Health Service and argued for a template for national healthcare services based on mutual principles.

 

“Nation states ought to agree what is in a basket of essential healthcare which would be paid for through taxation. Other services could then be offered through regional and local authorities or private bodies and funded by local charges and/or private contribution,” Mr Bennett told the conference.

 

He argued that the NHS’s success – more than 1.5 million people use it every day – in improving service standards has meant the debate on healthcare has continued to focus on funding versus delivery gaps on clinical effectiveness, quality and efficiency.

 

However Mr Bennett argued the focus on funding and delivery gaps is the wrong debate and instead Governments should look at funding accountabilities so that individuals know the level of healthcare they receive through mutual funding and what they have to pay for from their own savings.

 

The strong international focus of the conference was emphasised by insights and case studies from China, Belgium and the European Union as a whole.

 

Speakers at the conference included Stuart Smalley, Head of International Development at the Department of Health and Karol Sikora of Imperial College in London. Professor Sikora made the case for accepting the reality of co-payments and encouraging their greater use.

 

Dr Junhua Zhang of the Chinese Ministry of Health highlighted moves in China, which has one-fifth of the world’s population to look after, towards offering a package of essential healthcare for all replacing the current system which is heavily dependent on cash payments.

 

He said: “Less than one quarter of total health resources reached the majority two-thirds of the population living in the rural communities. Establishing universal coverage of essential healthcare was a central part of the vision for China in the 21^st century.”

 

Case studies from Holland and Belgium on the direction of reform and current performance of national health systems were presented. The speaker from Belgium, Dr Jan Van Emelen believed that in his country the system had to move from being ‘budget driven’ to ‘consumer driven’.

 

Delegates also heard from organisations including BUPA, University of York, and the European Commission on the potential changes in the future medical environment ranging from changing demographics to new drugs.

 

Leonard Fass, of GE, with an impressive picture of future medical technology, predicted greater use of technology such as remote patient monitoring which would put patients at the centre of health systems instead of having to always go to doctors and medical facilities.

 

Sarah Thomson, from the European Observatory, provided comparative data on health expenditure in the 27 member states and offered ideas for achieving better value for money.

 

And the conference focused on assisting developing countries with presentations from the UK Department for International Development, Medecins Sans Frontieres and the Belgian Socialist Mutualities.