30.G. Round table: Health planning In Europe: preparing for the expected and the unexpected

The objective of this round table discussion is to highlight the need for careful and systematic health planning of health systems in Europe, illustrate how health planning can be used for policy and management and provide some useful tools for participants to bring home and apply in their own contexts. Participants will acquire knowledge on current health care planning in some leading international organisations, with examples from some countries and region projections of disease burden and health care needs, forecasting of health care costs and funding sources, health workforce needs in relation to disease burden projections, and planning for unexpected events such as pandemics and climate threats. Each brief will be given a short comment by one of the other participants. After all four briefs, panel members will give general or specific comments on the topic and subsequently, the audience will be invited to provide input and pose questions to the panel members. Based on the presentations given and the information provided in the discussions, a report on the session will be compiled and made available to participants and the wider public electronically. KEY MESSAGES: Health care planning is important for emergency preparedness and long term sustainable delivery of health services. The best available estimates of population health developments and the resulting needs for prevention and health care should be the basis for health services planning.