WHO/Europe, through its Athens Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety, in collaboration with the Government and Ministry of Health of Greece, is hosting the launch event for the Development and Implementation of a Framework for Quality of Care (HEALTH-IQ) project.
This launch event is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the program's objectives, revealing the strategic plan for the upcoming 3 years. The program is set to continue until December 2025 and beyond.
Event details
On 16 February, the Minister of Health of Greece, Mr Adonis Georgiadis, alongside government officials, will convene with health researchers, health experts from Greece, and WHO senior and technical experts for a half-day event at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center from 09:30 to 15:00 EET. Local media will also be attending.
The event will mark the initiation of the HEALTH-IQ project, featuring insights from the initial situational analysis of quality of care in Greece conducted by the Technical Working Group for the project. Discussions will focus on addressing challenges related to quality of care and patient safety in Greece, as well as exploring strategies for enhancement.
About the project
Inspired by the WHO European Programme of Work, 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health”, and the WHO Regional Director for Europe’s vision of leaving no one behind, WHO/Europe identified the need to support countries in their efforts to create high-quality health-care systems.
In alignment with this vision, WHO/Europe is collaborating with Greece within the framework of the Hellenic Republic's National Development Programme (NDP) for 2021–2025. A key objective of the NDP is the restructuring of Greece's national health system. To this end, it is essential to adopt a systematic approach to assess and enhance the quality of health care and services, which is why the collaborative HEALTH-IQ project has been established.
HEALTH-IQ is dedicated to identifying and developing a robust methodological guide for measuring and improving quality in health care. It places a strong emphasis on patient-centered services in various health-care contexts, including primary care, hospital care, long-term care, access to public health; prevention procedures for noncommunicable diseases (cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and chronic respiratory diseases), and mental health.
This groundbreaking initiative aims to improve healthcare quality through patient feedback, cost–effective health systems, and equitable access to services. This includes establishing a framework for healthcare institutions to measure their quality performance and patient feedback, facilitating ongoing improvements in service delivery. While the project is primarily focused on the Greek healthcare landscape, it is designed to disseminate health quality standards and best practices to other countries encountering similar challenges in the WHO European Region.