In May 2017, the Australian Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Indigenous Health, Hon Ken Wyatt, signed an agreement with the German Minister for Health, Hermann Gröhe, to share crucial data on digital health in the context of a bilateral health cooperation established at the first G20 Health Ministers’ meeting in Berlin.
The objective of this collaboration is to exchange information on the best uses of digital health in each country in order to improve the health status of populations.
Health: Australia and Germany is facing similar challenges
Minister Wyatt said that Australia and Germany are facing many similar challenges, including the rising healthcare costs associated with an increase in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases and an increasingly ageing population.
Ensuring « access to quality care for all who need it »
« Germany and Australia seek to ensure our respective health systems deliver access to quality care to all who need it, » he added. (…) Australia is a world leader in digital health. (…) The the Australian Digital Health Agency and Department of Health are holding regular discussions on domestic digital health policy with Germany. Germany and Australia both have much to gain from sharing their collective expertise in digital health. «
Two high-performing healthcare systems
Australia and Germany have strong health systems, a good basis for advancing their respective capabilities in the digital health market, Mr Wyatt said. Ultimately, the objective is to share the two countries knowledge in order to carry out concerted political action in all sectors related to the quality of health care.
EHealth: Australia also collaborates with India
Australia is also looking to move closer to India. In another bilateral meeting at the G20 in Berlin, Minister Ken Wyatt discussed with Jagat Prakash Nadda, the Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare, the new Australia-India Memorandum of Understanding on health cooperation.
A long-term collaboration
The meeting followed on from Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s recent visit to India, during which a dialogue was initiated on the health issues of the two countries. « The two Prime Ministers were pleased to build on longstanding collaboration in the health sector through an [Memorandum of Understanding] and committed to continue cooperation in this field, » Mr Wyatt said.