On 22nd and 23rd May 2024, EUREGHA’s members convened for the association’s Annual General Assembly, which this year was kindly hosted in Venice by the Veneto Region. The two-day event was a unique opportunity to foster and strengthen connections between our regions, discuss priorities and vision, and learn from local centres of excellence.
On Day One, the AGA was fully dedicated to site visits and networking. During the morning, EUREGHA members and Secretariat had a guided tour of Ospedale dell’Angelo – ULSS 3 Serenissima in Mestre, an interesting model of innovation and organizational structure built on the concept of flexibility, with the aim of improving hospital functioning and patients’ treatment. The visit of the hospital was seasoned by several presentations, showcasing Veneto Region’s best practices and centres of excellence:
- The Veneto Oncology Network
- The Breast Unit Department of Ospedale dell’Angelo
- The Social, Health and Inclusive Tourism Projects
- The Veneto Eye Bank Foundation
Later in the afternoon, the EUREGHA AGA moved to the centre of Venice, where they had the opportunity of visiting the Ss. Giovanni e Paolo Civil Hospital and the Scuola Grande di San Marco. Founded and operational since the thirteenth century, the hospital is still serving the Venetian population, while the School preserves the history of Western medicine thanks to its library, the Museum of the History of Medicine, the Museum of Pathological Anatomy, and the Historical Pharmacy.
The Scuola Grande offered the location for the day 2 of the AGA meeting to discuss about governance and network’s priorities. The morning session was opened by a warm welcome by Antonio Maritati, Veneto Region’s Director of the Health and Social Care Department, and EUREGHA members discussed and approved the Annual Report and Accounts for 2023, Budget and Work Programme 2024. Moreover, the AGA was the occasion to officially welcome and onboard three new full members and two new associate members:
- Basque Country (ES) – Full member (already part of EUREGHA in 2023)
- Buskerud County (NO) – Full member
- Aarhus Municipality (DK) – Full member
- VAMK – Vaasa University of Applied Sciences (FI) – Associate member
- IMAGO-MOL Cluster (RO) – Associate member
The 2024 AGA also featured a special voting session to elect a new Chair for the 2023-2025 mandate, following the resignation of previous elected Chair Giovanni Gorgoni (AReSS Puglia) – read more here – and the appointment of Andrea Pavlickova (Scotland) as interim Chair happened in January 2024. Moreover, the General Assembly was the opportunity to open candidatures for additional spots in the Executive Board. It is EUREGHA’s pleasure to share warm congratulations to our elected new Chair until 2025 and Board member:
- Andrea Pavlickova (Chair – Scotland)
- Marian Angeles Ibarrondo Unamunzaga (EB member – Basque County)
The afternoon session was dedicated to workshops and group discussions with the objective of collecting members’ inputs and suggestions on how to enhance collaborations between members and the association, as well as further insights regarding topics and activities to be explored.
