The Minister of Health, Alba Vergés, in Brussels today for the 1st European Value-Based Procurement Conference, said that “the Catalan public healthcare model is a benchmark for Europe” and that Catalonia is “a leader in the European Union in this health innovation programme”, under which it receives €30 million in funding for innovative projects.

Vergés explained that the aim of the programme is to improve the quality and efficiency of services and health outcomes in the system as a whole. “Our procurement process takes into account the health outcomes we want to achieve. We want to innovate, but always with the aim of improving the care we provide,” she said.

The European Commission is currently promoting this model in Europe. The minister said: “We’re the region that has attracted the most funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for our innovative public procurement calls.”

The Ministry of Health is currently funding 18 innovation projects – carried out by entities that belong to the public health network – through the Public Procurement Programme.