For several years NGOs are becoming louder and louder in their demand for active involvement in making decisions about health care legislation (and all other legislation areas which affect citizens health). It seems that governments aren’t used and don’t know how to deal with NGOs. It also does not seem that nor governments nor doctors aware of the impact that information technology’s development had on level of people’s knowledge and they still underestimate NGOs. There are many cases in which governments (of western countries) got into quarrels with NGOs. Instead of this they could use NGOs knowledge about patients’ troubles, their capability and will to fight against all sorts of illness and diseases. This conferences’ purpose is to overcome this state of mind, to turn it around and make it better for all. That’s why we want to tell, hear and understand all the delegates, who will attend the conference, and with that we’ll all bring better solutions to our common goal – that’s better health for everybody. We want to show to the politicians that there is a way on which we can achieve this with mutual understanding, respect and recognition of all as equal partners in this process.
Organizers of the conference also have a special wish – to establish the Umbrella organization of patients from CEE countries. It’s clear that we have a lot of common issues, that we have different health care policy than our “western colleagues” and because of that we understand each other better. But this is not a wish to go separate ways. Our goal is to unite, to share best practice, best experience from whole world: North and South, East and West. Going shoulder by shoulder together we can achieve that countries will unite in one despite differences and achieve our common goal – better world for everybody.
