Branch-Policy Forum: Global Responsibility
The Branch-Policy Forum at OTWorld will focus on orthopaedic treatment and care in crisis mode. Experts from politics, science, medicine, health insurance companies as well as associations and organisations such as the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) and the United Nations (UN) will contribute to the eight discussion panels.
"The medical aid industry has a huge responsibility worldwide to enable people with mobility limitations and disabilities to participate in daily life to the same extent as everyone else. Particularly in times of crisis, this commitment by the industry is really put to the test. Under the heading of 'Responsibility', we will be discussing the current situation of quality-assured orthopaedic treatment and care in Germany and worldwide with international experts at the Branch-Policy Forum as well as examining what the future holds for our craft and the health professions," explains Alf Reuter, host of the Branch-Policy Forum, President of the German Association for Orthopaedic Technology (Bundesinnungsverband für Orthopädie-Technik, BIV-OT) and board member of the "We treat Germany" (Wir versorgen Deutschland) alliance.
One-hour panel discussions will be held throughout the duration of OTWorld to answer questions such as: Who is responsible for quality-assured treatments using medical aids? How can professional aid be ensured even in war zones and times of crisis? What are the opportunities and challenges presented by digitalisation, e-health and 3D technology? Journalist Henning Quanz will be the moderator.
The session "Showing responsibility: Does the international provision with medical aids and assistive devices know (no) boundaries?” will for example include ISPO President Claude Tardif, Hans-Jörg Strohmeyer from the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) of the UN, MD, the physician Professor Yasuhito Tanaka PhD from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery of Nara Medical University, Japan, as well as PD Dr Casper Grim, Head Orthopaedic Surgeon of the German Olympic Team, Head Physician of the Triathlon Union and Vice-President of the German Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatic Sports Medicine (GOTS). They will be analysing issues such as the provision of orthopaedic treatment and care in crisis situations and poorer countries. The ISPO, for instance, works together with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
At other panels, guests from German federal politics, the German National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV-Spitzenverband), the medical profession, the scientific community and the medical aid sector, among others, will be discussing the state of orthopaedic treatment and care in Germany. Representatives from leading associations in the healthcare industry will hold a debate under the title "Responsibilities of the Health Professions: How Does the Craft Sector Drive Progress and Innovation in the German Healthcare Sector?" (German only „Gesundheitsberufe in der Verantwortung: Wie treibt das Handwerk Fortschritt und Innovation im deutschen Gesundheitswesen?“) which will focus on the difference between real innovation and supposedly advanced digital cost-saving solutions.
