Healthcare professionals using technology to make care smarter

First European edition of HLTH launched at RAI Amsterdam

Amsterdam, 13 June 2024 – Pain management with the help of virtual reality, deploying tech to meet the growing demand for healthcare, remote nursing… HLTH Europe will see healthcare professionals, companies and scientists address the question of how technology can best be used to make healthcare smarter. The innovative US healthcare innovation conference is coming to Europe for the first time from June 17 to 20 and will be held in RAI Amsterdam.

HLTH, the most innovative healthcare innovation conference in the United States, is coming to Europe for the first time. From 17 to 20 June in RAI Amsterdam, healthcare professionals, companies and scientists will discuss ways of using technology to make healthcare smarter. Click on the photo to download the royalty-free image in high resolution.

Ageing populations, shortages of care workers and the increasing number of chronic physical and mental illnesses and conditions are just some of the healthcare challenges currently facing Europe. The seminars, lectures, workshops and one-to-one meetings at HLTH Europe will explore how the right use of technology can enhance healthcare and take it to the next level.

Complex healthcare issues
"The Netherlands is playing a leading role worldwide when it comes to technical innovations in healthcare," says HLTH Europe director Katy Fryatt. In terms of logistics and infrastructure, she sees Amsterdam as a hub for medical innovations. "It is home to major companies in the medical technology sector, ambitious startups, the largest university medical centre in the Netherlands and a significant number of research institutions. 

“Moreover, Amsterdam is one of the most centrally located cities in Europe with a world-class venue in the form of RAI Amsterdam . We are therefore delighted to bring the European healthcare ecosystem together in Amsterdam and give visitors a greater insight into the revolution facing our sector. Thanks to Big Data, AI and other technological innovations, healthcare will become better, easier to access and more affordable."

Marlies Schijven, surgeon and professor of Digital Health at Amsterdam UMC , points to the ecosystem in Europe as another key reason to organise HLTH on our continent. "What is possible in America is not always possible with us, and vice versa. This is why it is so important that this conference has come to Europe."

Touches us all
Schijven has seen how meetings between healthcare professionals at editions of HLTH in the US have led to new research, start-ups and innovations. "This conference touches us all," adds Schijven, further stressing the importance of HLTH Europe. "It impacts healthcare workers, patients and education, and together we need to figure out how best to approach the complex healthcare issues of our time. By joining forces we can make healthcare smarter and figure out how to deal with shortages by making the most of the new opportunities offered by technology and AI."

Healthcare professionals, businesses and government bodies will all come together at HLTH Europe. The four-day event will see Philips present the Future Health Index for 2024 and feature a large-scale survey of healthcare executives about trends and developments in the industry. Gert-Jan Oskam, a Dutchman paralysed from the neck down due to a spinal cord injury, will give a presentation. He became the first person in the world to receive implants on his skull that send signals to his spinal cord, enabling him to stand independently and walk short distances.

About HLTH
HLTH has become America's premier event for healthcare innovation over recent years. The US events attract more than 10,000 visitors, thousands of CEOs and over a thousand startups. Building on this success, HLTH is now coming to Europe for the first time. HLTH Europe will take place from 17 to 20 June at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre

About RAI Amsterdam
RAI Amsterdam is an international event and conference organisation that has been bringing people together, facilitating connections and inspiring people by organising and facilitating meetings since 1893. From consumer events, major conferences, international trade exhibitions to dance events and theatre shows, Amsterdam RAI welcomed over 1.5 million visitors in 2023. Every year, visitors to RAI Amsterdam spend some €200 million in the city, including on hotels, taxis, public transport, hospitality businesses and shops.