THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
We need the networking technology to manage value-based medicine for patients
A comprehensive approach for the digitalisation of military medical services by Dr Arno Manfred Roßlau, Brigadier General (ret) of the Bundeswehr Medical Corps, Advisory Board member of the Interior Committee of Lower Saxony, Hannover
A
fter the Covid-19 pandemic made the economy plunge, the European heads of countries came together in July 2020 at a summit in Brussels. They agreed to stabilise the economy with a huge investment programme in growth and technology in Europe. The coronavirus pandemic is going to be cataclysmic for the digitalisation of the economy and the healthcare system. On these aspects, Europe is focused on the right thing and is seeking better cooperation among countries in the community. What does this mean for the European Security and Defence policy and what does it mean for the armed forces and their military medical services?
New approaches to security and defence
eration between medical services at a European level. On one hand, the primary responsibility of military medical services is preventing and maintaining the health and fighting strength of the military, on the other, the military medical services will strengthen and facilitate civilian interoperability through civil-military cooperation. The role they play in coordinating national efforts within partner countries and supporting civilian ones are fundamental contributions in managing a crisis in peace and wartime. In addition to these roles, medical support is one of the key planning domains for operations. As a joint and combined service, the military health service ought to provide operational support to the forces. This support requires medical, pharmaceutical, veterinary, dental, paramedical and medico-administrative procedures, sometimes in a short timeframe.
Bridging the military medical services
As part of the future development of the Framework Nation Concept (FNC), the general surgeons of eight European NATO After Germany’s reunification, Europe’s security policy fundacountries signed on 2nd May 2017 a foundation document for rementally and permanently changed. In its chequered history, a common European market existed but in many other aspects of European policy, it was extremely difficult to find a joint way forward. Logistics and military medical services were Arno M. Roßlau, MD unmistakably part of the nation’s sovereignty is a retired General of the Bundeswehr Medical Corps. He is of decision-making. a member of the Advisory Board of the Interior Committee of Recently, the European Union has responded Lower Saxony. Responsible for medical planning of operations to these facts with a change to the Permanent at the German MOD he supported all out of area missions Structured Cooperation (PESCO) initiative, between 2002 and 2008 and temporarily joined the Headin which Germany is initially responsible for quarters of NATO, the EU and the UN in the IFOR/SFOR mission Photo: private five projects as the lead nation. One of these in Bosnia, UNSCOM in Irak, UNTAET in Osttimor and other projects is to create the European Medical special missions as Medical Advisor. In his last position he was the commander Coordination Centre. The main objective of this of German Medical Command I, in Kiel, on the level of division. initiative is to intensify the multinational coop-
38
