The pandemic has brought only a temporary slump in private health care, and it now appears that in the medium term, private health providers have been among winners during the pandemic and in the post-COVID world. The health awareness of people is improving, partly because the pandemic placed a greater value on health, and patients are being squeezed out of the public health cares system for several reasons (financing, the ban on gratuities, longer waiting lists, congestion of procedures), while private health providers offer an increasingly wide range of services and new payment plans are entering the market. In this environment, the biggest private health providers are preparing to level up and begin nationwide expansion. The question is, what challenges will they have to overcome with respect to human resources, safety measures, patient retention, digitalisation and telemedicine? Meanwhile, large specialised private health providers are not sitting on heir laurels and are adapting to changing market demand with new development projects. All the above shows that the private health care provider market is becoming stronger and stronger, and new industries (suppliers, property managers) are also recognising the opportunities inherent in this. Not to mention that the digital ecosystem surrounding private health providers has effectively bloomed over the past year as innovative startups and increasingly serious SMEs enter the market with solutions that make life easier for providers, and therefore patients as well. But who are they and what are they planning to do? There will be a lot to talk about at this year's Private Health Forum.
This year is unique because representatives of the industry may meet face to face again, so we are preparing for the event with a special format. The emphasis will be on creating a safe but personal atmosphere, which is why we will offer those participating in person greater opportunities for networking in addition to the few hours of intense professional programmes in the afternoon.
