NEWS  ASSOCIATION  MEMBERS  FUTURE MEMBERS  OSSN STATUTE  CONTACT  PO POLSKU		2003-10-06 Report from the Meeting of the Management Board of the European Union of Private Hospitals in France Last weekend for the first time the Polish Private Hospitals Association took part in a board meeting of the European Union of Private Hospitals (UEPH), which this time was held in Monaco. The meeting, chaired by Alberto Sciaci, the UEPH President, was attended by 29 people - representatives of private hospital associations from 12 European countries, of which the Eastern Europe has so far only been represented by Hungary. During its visit, the Polish team, acting on behalf of the OSSN, acceded to the Union, and the decision in this regard is to be taken during the General Meeting in Paris in February 2004. However, the participants of the meeting have already expressed their strong approval for the Polish candidacy. There was a huge interest in the presentation of the Polish market of private hospital services, which initiated the meeting. In the opinion of the participating healthcare managers this reaction proves that there is a huge growth potential although there is still much to be done. The successive speeches during the meeting concerned the current affairs of the UEHP, the results of previous actions and the strategy and timetable for the years 2003-2005. During the meeting a lot of attention was given to the current lobbing projects nearing execution. A new delegate was selected to represent the UEHP at the European Parliament. A major topic of discussion was the participation of the Union at the European Health Forum, devoted to the exchange of ideas and international consultations on health protection and attended by 42 institutions (selected out of 135 applicants) from around the world. The Management Board of the Union is currently drawing up its position for the so-called 'Green Book' (containing projects of the proposed entries in future directives before social and trade consultations) on the concept of "Freedom of movement: patient, products, and service". The discussions on ways of increasing the effectiveness of the hospitals constituting the Union often stressed the importance of quality as the key advantage which gives the private sector the edge over its public counterpart. One of the primary objectives of the UEHP is the consistent promotion of quality, among others by setting-up a special workgroup for the creation of new standards. The date of the next board meeting (convened twice a year) was set on 4 June 2004. The OSSN representatives proposed that the meeting should take in Poland and this was greeted with strong approval.