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Brussels, 24 & 25 March
2004
WHO? PHILIPPE BUSQUIN, Commissioner for Research, European Commission
In collaboration with Eryl
McNALLY, Member of the European Parliament (EP) and Vice
President of the EP “Scientific and Technological Options
Assessment” (STOA)
In collaboration with Rudy
DEMOTTE, Belgian Minister of Social Affairs and Public
Health
WHAT? Conference
and debate on “New genetic applications and access to healthcare”
WHEN? 24 & 25 March 2004
(24 March, 14:00 – 25 March, 12:30)
WHERE? Centre Albert Borschette,
room 0/A, Rue Froissart, 36, Brussels
A limited number of journalists
will be able to attend all of the conference.
Discoveries in genetics
open up new possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of many
diseases. Such prospects bring about many new challenges: How will
such tests and treatments be funded? How can affordable access to
healthcare be assured for individuals or groups with genetic predispositions
towards particular diseases?
The European Commission is organising a conference together with
the Socialist Mutual health Fund of Belgium (UNMS) and the International
Association of Mutual Health Funds (AIM) on 24 and 25 March in Brussels.
European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin, Mrs Eryl McNally,
Member of the EP and Vice President of the “Scientific and
Technological Options Assessment” (STOA) of the EP and Rudy
Demotte, Belgian Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health, will
discuss some of the challenges. About 200 representatives from organisations
active in the fields of both compulsory and voluntary health protection
in Europe, the medical and scientific community involved in the
development of genetic applications in healthcare, health insurance
providers, industry, public administrations, the general public
and the media will also attend the conference.
In light of fostering accessibility to genetic applications, participants
will debate the establishment of appropriate systems of obligatory
and supplementary insurance coverage with the , the involvement
of legal health insurance systems, private health insurers, medical
professionals, the general public and others.
Interview opportunities upon request.
Conference programme
The conference programme is available below. Conference languages
are English, German and French (simultaneous translation).
For further information on the conference
and some practical information, please see also the web-site http://www.mutsoc.be.
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Contacts
Barbara Rhode
Head of the Unit "Ethics and Science”, Research
DG, European Commission
Tel: +32.2.295 98 88
E-mail: Barbara.Rhode @ cec.eu.int
Alain Vanvossel
Head of the Unit "Research on Major Diseases", Research
DG, European Commission
Tel: +32.2.296 25 78
E-mail: Alain.Van-Vossel @ cec.eu.int
Media Contact
Marie Claire Musin
Director of Information and Communication Unit, Socialist
Mutual Health Fund of Belgium
Tel: +32 2 515 05 78, Fax: +32 2 515 05 06
Email: MarieClaire.Musin @ mutsoc.be
Michael H. Wappelhorst, Press and information officer
Information and communication Unit, Research DG, European
Commission
Tel: +32.2.298 75 75, Fax: +32.2.295 82 20
E-mail: Michael.Wappelhorst @ cec.eu.int
Commissioner Philippe Busquin's spokesman
Fabio Fabbi, Spokesman for Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin,
Press DG
Tel. +32.2.296 41 74, Fax +32.2.296 30 03
E-mail: Fabio.Fabbi @ cec.eu.int
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*****
Programme
24 March 2004 (Wednesday)
| 13h30 |
Participants welcomed |
| 14h00 |
Philippe Busquin, European Research Commissioner:
The challenges for Europe. |
Access to genetic applications: will
the health insurance systems be confronted with a new challenge?
Chair of the session: Eryl McNally,
Member of the European Parliament, Vice President of STOA panel
(Scientific and Technological Options Assessment) |
| 14:20 |
Yvonne Smithies, Director, Science and Technology,
Matrix and External Interfaces, Genetics Research, GlaxoSmithKline.
Dimension and prospects of genetic applications |
| 14:40 |
Bernard De Backer, Secretary General of the
Socialist Mutual Health Fund of Belgium.
Mutualise the financing of genetic applications: utopia
or pragmatism |
| 15:00 |
Gerrits Rauws, Director Governance programme,
Fondation Roi Baudouin, Belgium.
What place for the
citizen in the light of access to genetic applications? |
| 15:20 |
Claude Beraud, Honorary Professor, Medical
faculty of Bordeaux, Fédération Nationale de la
Mutualité Française.
Will genetics lead to the privatisation of health systems? |
| 15:40 |
Lorenzo Bifone, Director-General, Unisalute,
Italy.
Can insurance sickness funds take into account or encourage
change in the behaviour of the individual? |
| 16:00 |
Jürgen Fritze, Germany.
Predictive
medicine: a Pandora's box for private insurers? |
| 16:20 - 16:45 |
Rudy Demotte, Belgian Minister for Social
Affairs and Public Health.
Guaranteeing accessibility
through public financing: a choice by society? |
25 March 2004 (Thursday)
Will the genetic implications
lead health professionals towards new choices?
Chair of the session: Prof. Judit Sandor,
Central European University Foundation, Budapest |
| 10h00 |
Philippe Mahoux, Senator, Belgium.
Will the legislature be able to anticipate the changes
brought about by predictive medicine? |
| 10:15 |
Professor Emilio Mordini, Managing Director
of the Centre for Science, Society and Citizenship (CSSC), Professor
of Bioethics, "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy.
The genetic diagnosis of mental illnesses and health insurance:
the ethical challenge. |
| 10:30 |
Dr Jean-Michel Vidal, M.D., Ph.D. Director
of Clinical Projects, Galileo Genomics, Montréal, Québec,
Canada. Associate Professor of Medical Anthropology, Department
of Anthropology, University of Montréal, Québec,
Canada.
Genomic research and insurability risk.
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| 10:45 |
Michel Hasselmann, Professor of Medical Resuscitation,
University Hospital Centre of Strasbourg, France.
Genomics
and therapeutic decisions in resuscitation. |
| 11:00 |
Michael Bos, The Netherlands.
The
power of medical information in genetics: how to reduce the
gap between the citizen and the professionals? |
| 11:15 |
Alastair Kent, Director, GIG – Genetic
Interest Group, London, United Kingdom.
Society and
patient concerns |
| 11:30 |
Round table – discussion moderated
by Alastair Kent |
| 12:15 - 12:30 |
Guy Peeters, Secretary General of the Socialist
Mutual health Fund of Belgium.
Conference conclusions: Challenge for health insurance. |
*****
CONFIRMATION OF ATTENDANCE, IMPORTANT
PLEASE FAX BACK TO +32.2.295 82 20
To apply for your attendance, please send e-mail or fax enclosed form to:
CONFIRMATION OF ATTENDANCE
New genetic applications
and access to healthcare
Brussels, 24 &
25 March 2004
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the conference on 24 and 25 March in Brussels.
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Diary Note
