Victoria’s International Health Strategy 2016 – 2020 is already opening doors around the world with Sweden getting behind Victoria’s international approach.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Jill Hennessy, has met with Sweden’s leading experts in health care and medical research to grow opportunities for Victorian health exports and investments.
Gabriel Wikström, Swedish Minister for Health Care, Public Health and Sport and Minister Hennessy discussed partnerships between the countries to advance future health innovation. Areas being explored for future collaboration will include:
- Knowledge exchange between researchers about clinical quality registries, including their potential for improving the safety and quality of healthcare and advancing clinical research. This exchange can support identification of research priorities for potential co-investment and/or coordination.
- Cancer research, prevention, control and management, including Proton Beam Therapy technology, facility size and configuration.
- Combating the threat of antimicrobial resistance, including approaches to data collection and developing policy and practice regarding antimicrobial prescribing in both humans and animals.
Minister Hennessy also took part in a roundtable forum at Swecare with the nation’s leading academic, public and private health care providers and researchers to discuss ways to join forces on future health challenges that both nations face.
While in Sweden Minister Hennessy also visited Karolinska Institutet, similar to Melbourne’s Parkville Precinct, to establish collaboration between the two, and Nationella Kvalitetetsregister to gain insights into Sweden’s well-established system of clinical quality registries.
Released earlier this month, Victoria’s International Health Strategy 2016-2020 outlines the Andrews Labor Government’s vision to grow Victoria as a global exporter of goods and services in health, health education, aged care and medical research.
The healthcare sector contributes more than $30 billion to the Victorian economy a year and employs over 130,000 Victorians. The sector is now the largest and fastest growing source of jobs.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy
“We are developing a great relationship between Sweden and Victoria – opening doors for partnerships in Sweden for Victorian healthcare and medical research.”
“We both face the same health concerns, with finding ways to treat cancer and care for ageing populations our biggest future challenges.”
“This is yet another opportunity to share our knowledge, learn from others and enter into partnerships that provide jobs for our health workers at home.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020