We accompany the Department of Health in advancing the Basque ecosystem of citizen participation
The meeting, held on 23 February at the BAT, marks a new step in the development of Line 22 of the Basque Health Pact.
On 23 February, the Basque Government’s Department of Health held the second workshop aimed at strengthening and coordinating the participation of patients and citizens in the Basque public health system at the BAT building in Bilbao, in collaboration with Biosistemak. Our scientific director, Ane Fullaondo, and researcher and project manager Yhasmine Hamu led the working sessions, which were attended by patient associations, professionals from Osakidetza health organisations and technical staff from the Department of Health.
This meeting represents a new step in the development of Line 22 of the Basque Health Pact, “Deliberation and Shared Decision-Making”, as well as in the Roadmap for Participation promoted by the Department of Health, with the aim of moving towards a stable, structured and sustainable model of citizen participation in health.
The diagnosis presented by Biosistemak
The workshop began with the presentation of the diagnosis of the situation regarding citizen participation in the health and social-health systems of the Basque Country, prepared by Biosistemak on the basis of surveys conducted among 52 patient associations, Osakidetza health organisations and various departments of the Department of Health.
The analysis shows that, although participation is perceived as incipient, the Basque healthcare system has accumulated good practices that should be made visible and scaled up. These include advances in humanisation, the consolidation of community spaces and the involvement of patients in strategic committees and healthcare improvement initiatives.
Definition of the ecosystem and priorities for progress
During the conference, attendees worked collaboratively to define the future Basque ecosystem for citizen participation in health, with the aim of moving towards an organised, stable model with a real impact on decision-making.
In the first half of March, monographic workshops will be held to explore these aspects in greater depth and transfer the proposals to the future Master Plan for Citizen Participation in Health.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to analyse the draft of the future state law on participation, ensuring that the contributions of associations and healthcare professionals in the Basque Country can enrich the debate and contribute to the development of Basque regulations in line with the real needs of the healthcare system.
