The Health System Response Monitor (HSRM) has been designed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak to collect and organize up-to-date information on how countries are responding to the crisis. It focuses primarily on the responses of health systems but also captures wider public health initiatives. This is a joint undertaking of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the European Commission, and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.


Click here for policy recommendations and technical guidance from the WHO Regional Office for Europe on how to strengthen the health systems response to COVID-19 and click here for the EU coronavirus response in the area of public health.

Webinar series on the COVID-19 response

The COVID-19 HSRM webinar series

Europe's governments are again struggling to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus and to gear health systems up to meet new surges. They are implementing or tightening measures to prevent transmission and looking to strengthen infrastructure and workforce capacity, health services provision and health systems governance overall.

The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies is launching a series of webinars which draw lessons from country experiences in all these areas. They will look at how health systems can respond to the pandemic and what makes them more resilient to external shocks and crises.

About the webinars

  • The webinars will be delivered as a series of 1-hour online-sessions.
  • The series includes 5 thematic webinars and 3 webinars on groups of countries (see table below).
  • Each webinar will include a keynote speaker and speakers who will spotlight country experience.
  • Questions and comments (through the Q/A and chat box) will be encouraged.
  • The webinars are linked to forthcoming special issues of Eurohealth and the journal Health Policy.

This series draws on the COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor (HSRM) which collects and organizes up-to-date information on how countries are responding to the COVID-19 crisis across the whole European Region. It focuses primarily on the responses of health systems, but also captures wider public health initiatives and has been able to deliver cross country analysis on some of the most pressing challenges. The HSRM has been delivered by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies as a joint undertaking with and for the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Commission.

Links for registration for the individual webinars are provided below. You are encouraged to register early because it will allow the presenters to understand the mix of people taking part and adjust their plans accordingly, but registration will remain open until just before the webinar.

COVID-19 WEBINAR SERIES RECORDINGS AVAILABLE HERE

The COVID-19 HSRM webinar series

Note: all times are CET time

Date Title and keynote speaker

23 Mar

12:00-13:00

The COVID-19 Infodemic: Ensuring universal access to credible health information

Keynote:
Christine Czerniak, World Health Organization (keynote)
Spotlight speakers:
Neville Calleja, Ministry of Health, Malta
Anna-Leena Lohiniva, Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland
Ashley Winter, Cabinet Office, UK
Facilitator/ Moderator:
Matthias Wismar & Erica Richardson, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

16 Mar

12:00-13:00

Covid-19 vaccination rollout: Are vaccination passports the route out of lockdown?

Keynote:
Siobhán O’Sullivan, Ministry of Health, Ireland
Spotlight speakers:
Ruth Waitzberg, Technical University of Berlin, & Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem, Israel
Franz Leisch, ELGA [Electronic Health Records], Austria
Facilitator/ Moderator:
Matthias Wismar & Erica Richardson, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

09 Mar

12:00-13:00

The future of Public-Private-Partnerships for R&D in healthcare: will the COVID-19 experience change the game?

Keynote:
Barbara Kerstiëns, European Commission
Spotlight speakers:
Vasee Moorthy, World Health Organization, Geneva
Magda Chlebus, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA)
Yannis Natsis, European Public Health Alliance
Facilitator/ Moderator:
Dimitra Panteli & Erica Richardson, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

02 Mar

12:00-13:00

Preparing for Long Covid: COVID-19 and health systems strengthening

Keynote:
Dr Nisreen Alwan, University of Southampton
Spotlight speakers:
Anna Kemp, Spanish LongCovid Collective, Spain
Elisa Perego, Long Covid Patient Advocate, Italy
Carolyn Chew-Graham, Keele University, UK
Facilitator/ Moderator:
Matthias Wismar & Erica Richardson, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

23 Feb

12:00-13:00

Covid-19 vaccination rollout: where is the vaccine, where is the patient, and who needs to know?

Keynote:
Cecile van de Konijnenburg, Federal Public Service: Health, Food Chain Safety, Environment (Belgium)
Spotlight speakers:
Franz Leisch, Elga, Austria
Siddhartha Datta, WHO Regional Office for Europe
Joakim Ramsberg, Vardanalys, Sweden
Facilitator/ Moderator:
Matthias Wismar & Erica Richardson, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

16 Feb

12:00-13:00

Covid-19 vaccination rollout: Reflecting on the Israeli experience

Keynote:
Ruth Waitzberg, Technical University of Berlin & Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem (Israel)
Spotlight speakers:
Madelon Kroneman, NIVEL (Netherlands)
Billy Palmer, Nuffield Trust (UK)
Discussant:
Jon Cylus, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
Facilitator/ Moderator:
Ewout van Ginneken & Matthias Wismar, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

09 Feb

12:00-13:00

Covid-19 and the sustainability of health financing: anticipated effects and policy options

Keynote:
Jon Cylus, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
Spotlight speakers:
Triin Habicht, WHO Regional Office for Europe
Steve Thomas, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Discussant:
Sarah Thomson, WHO Regional Office for Europe
Facilitator/ Moderator:
Ewout van Ginneken & Erica Richardson (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies)

02 Feb

12:00-13:00

COVID-19 lockdowns and their broader impact: social costs and potential co-benefits

Keynote:
Valentina Chiesa, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale – IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Italy
Spotlight speakers:
Liz Green, Public Health Wales, Wales (UK)
Gabriele Antony, Austrian Public Health Institute, Austria
Odile Mekel, Landeszentrum Gesundheit Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Facilitator/Moderator:
Matthias Wismar & Erica Richardson, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

26 Jan

12:00-13:00

COVID-19 Apps and the future of digital technologies

Keynote:
Nick Fahy, University of Oxford
Spotlight speakers:
Alexander Degelsegger-Márquez, Austrian Public Health Institute Ceri Thompson, European Commission
Discussant:
Clayton Hamilton, World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe
Facilitator/Moderator:
Dimi Panteli & Erica Richardson, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

19 Jan

12:00-13:00

COVID-19, remote consultations and the future of doctor-patient interaction

Keynote:
Erica Richardson, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
Spotlight speakers:
Dalhia Aissat, Caisse Nationale d'Assurance Maladie (CNAM), France
Dominik von Stillfried, Zentralinstitut für die kassenärztliche Versorgung (Zi), Germany
Patriek Mistiaen, Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE), Belgium

15 Dec

12:00-13:00

*** Bonus COVID-19 Response Webinar ***

Protecting older people in nursing homes: lessons learned from the 1st wave.

Keynote:
Margrieta Langins, WHO Regional Office for Europe Spotlight speakers:
Christian Berringer, Federal Ministry of Health, Germany Henk Nies, Vilans – National Centre of Expertise for Long-Term Care, the Netherlands

08 Dec

12:00-13:00

Visegrád countries and COVID-19 health systems responses

Keynote:
Olga Löblová, University of Cambridge Spotlight speakers:
Peter Gaal, Semmelweis University, Hungary Iwona Kowalska-Bobka, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Poland Martin Smatana, Ministry of Education, Research and Sport, Slovakia Discussant:
Melitta Jakab, WHO Europe

01 Dec

12:00-13:00

Social health insurance countries and COVID-19 health systems responses

Keynote:
Andrea Schmidt, Austrian Public Health Institute
Spotlight speakers:
Francois Schellevis, NIVEL, the Netherlands Pia Vracko, NIJZ, Slovenia

24 Nov

12:00-13:00

Nordic countries and COVID-19 health systems responses

Keynote:
Karsten Vrangbæk, Copenhagen University, Denmark
Spotlight speakers:
Liina-Kaisa Tynkkynen, Tampere University, Finland
Nils Janlöv, Swedish Agency for Health and Care Services Analysis, Sweden
Discussant:
Ingrid Sperre Saunes, Institute of Public Health, Norway

17 Nov

12:00-13:00

The health workforce and COVID-19: Protecting health workers while maintaining surge capacity

Keynote:
Gemma Williams, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
Spotlight speakers:
Juliane Winkelmann, Technical University Berlin
Discussant:
JACOB, Gabrielle Jacob, WHO Europe

10 Nov

12:00-13:00

Health financing and COVID-19: Balancing financial incentives for sustaining health services

Keynote:
Ruth Waitzberg & Wilm Quentin, Technical University Berlin
Spotlight speakers:
Wulf Dietrich Leber, National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV-Spitzenverband), Berlin, Germany
Marc Schreiner, BKG, Germany
Marie-Camille Lenormand, CNAM, France
Cristoph Sowada, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Poland (TBC)

03 Nov

12:00-13:00

Hospital care and COVID-19: Balancing surge capacity and regular services

Keynote:
Erin Webb, Technical University Berlin
Spotlight speakers:
Sarah Reed, Nuffield Trust, UK
Patrick Jeurissen, Radboud University Medical School & Science Officer at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports in the Netherlands
Enrique Bernal Delgado, IACS, Spain
Discussant:
Melitta Jakab, WHO Europe

27 Oct

14:00-15:00

Governing in the COVID-19 pandemic: Centralization within and between governments

Keynote:
Scott L Greer, University of Michigan
Spotlight speakers:
Sarah Rozenblum, University of Michigan
Holly Jarman, University of Michigan

27 Oct

12:00-13:00

Preventing COVID-19 transmission: Meeting the challenge of scaling-up population testing

Keynote:
Selina Rajan, LSHTM
Spotlight speakers:
Alisha Morsella, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy
Hanna Ermann, Technical University Berlin, Germany
Lucie Bryndová, Charles University Prague, Czech Republic