The global pandemic that is ravaging our societies has also underlined the value of the Armed Forces to support civilian populations in health emergencies. Specifically, the Military Health Services of all European Union countries have played an important role in the fight against COVID-19 while maintaining the military medical support, critical for the European Union’s soldiers deployed on missions and operations.
To provide this service in an efficient and effective manner, it is necessary to enhance cooperation at European level, seeking to improve the Union's Preparedness and Resilience to future pandemics as well as the effectiveness of our crisis management missions and operations.
Recently, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mr. Josep Borrell, and Spanish Minister of Defence, Ms. Margarita Robles, jointly sent the official invitation to nations to participate in the “1ST EU Congress on Military Health Services”, to be held in Madrid from the 6th to 8th October 2021.
The Congress will analyse the role of the EU Military Health Services in support of civilian authorities during the pandemic; operational challenges in a state of uncertainty, including the improvement of medical support to EU missions and operations; and the establishment of strategic medical stockpiles, as well as European vaccination plans, in close coordination with the European Commission.
The health and social crisis that we are facing derived from the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to establish the mechanisms, capabilities, capacities and procedures to achieve a common and practical approach. Military contribution, particularly military health services, contributes to ensure the resilience of the nations and their organisations, including those of security and defence.
The Congress will analyse the experiences acquired during this health crisis, the most efficient way to contribute to supporting the civil population in future health crises, the operational challenges and other aspects that the nations find appropriate to share and debate. This Congress is an opportunity to create a network of links and influence, aimed at identifying best practices and lessons learned on responses for health crises and wider military medical support, as well as reinforcing the cooperation of our Military Health Services at the European level.
The main topics chosen for discussion, all of them related to the support provided by the Armed Forces against pandemics and the operational challenges are as follows:
I. Operational challenges in a state of uncertainty, including the military medical support to EU missions and operations, adjustment and lessons learned.
II. Military support to European vaccination plans against pandemics.
III. Military support for the establishment of European strategic reserves of strategic medical stockpiles against pandemics.
The Congress will be structured in discussion panels where the nations will be given the chance to provide a brief presentation, followed by a debate.
The Congress is being planned as an in-person format; however, considering the uncertainties caused by the pandemic, the possibility of a hybrid format (online and in-person) cannot be excluded.
The congress venue will be the Spanish National Defence Studies Centre (CESEDEN). Paseo de la Castellana, 61, Madrid, Spain. (https://www.defensa.gob.es/ceseden/en/ceseden/)
The CESEDEN is the main joint military training centre of the Spanish Armed Forces. CESEDEN is responsible for providing courses in higher national defence studies, as well as carrying out tasks of research, promotion and dissemination of the defence culture.
In order to carry out its duties and, especially, to provide studies leading to postgraduate degrees, CESEDEN will collaborate with public universities, university defence centres and other public and private corporations, by means of the pertinent agreements.
(See the map below for the exact location of the CESEDEN).
While the Congress is not associated with any hotel and does not have any preference, for logistical purposes the organization of the 1EUC_MHS has checked the availability of hotel rooms at:
MILITARY RESIDENCE "El ALCAZAR"
Address: Calle de Diego de León, 4, 6 - 28006 Madrid
Phone number: (34) 915 66 36 00 / (34) 915 64 07 70
E-mail: rmalcazar@oc.mde.es
MELIÁ HOTEL "MADRID SERRANO"
Adress: Claudio Coello, 139 – 28006 Madrid
Phone number: (34) 915626600
Fax: (34) 915627519
E-mail: melia.madrid.serrano@melia.com
Web: https://www.melia.com/es/hoteles/espana/madrid/melia-madrid-serrano/index.htm
Tuesday, October 5
19.00–21.00
Reception / Ice Breaker Cocktail1 at Military Residence "El ALCAZAR".1
1 If health situation permits it.
Wednesday, October 6
08.30
CESEDEN Transfer.
09.00–09.30
Registration of Delegations and Participants.
09.30-10.30
Opening Ceremony: Ms. Under Secretary of Defense María Amparo Valcarce García.
Keynote Speech: Major General PHA Juan José Sánchez Ramos. Chief of the Spanish Armed Forces Military Medical Services.
10.30–11.00
Lecture: "Combining efforts in Medical Support in Europe"
Brigadier General Stefan Kowitz MD. Director Multinational Medical Coordination Centre/European Medical Command.
11.00–11.30
Coffee Break.
11.30–13.30
1st Round Table: Military support for the establishment of European strategic reserves of strategic medical stockpiles against pandemics.
Chair: COL PHA Francisco Javier Alfaro. Spain.
Panelists:
- Costs for a Hospital stay in patients with COVID-19. Ms Floria Mariana. Rumanía.
- Controlling SARS-CoV-2 spread in a veteran Nursing Home: contingency plan implementation and monitoring. COL. MD María Lopes Salazar. Portugal.
- Portuguese Military program to Nursing Homes. COL. MD Maria Lopes Salazar. Portugal.
- The Spanish National Strategic medicines and medical devices reserve management model.LTC. PHA María Del Pilar Puente. Spain.
- Building up stocks of medical countermeasures against pandemics: the place of the French Military Health Service in the response mechanism of the armed forces and the nation. COL. MD Laurence Calvo. France.
- A responsive medical capability building. Lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis.COL. MD Antoine Luft. France.
Discussion.
Wrap-up Day: LTC PHA René Pita. Spain.
13.45–14.45
Lunches.
15.00–16.00
Transfer to BA Torrejón.
16.00–19.30
Visit/Workshop.
19.30
Transfer to Hotels.
Thursday, October 7
08.30
CESEDEN Transfer.
09.00–11.00
2nd Round Table I::Operational challenges in a state of uncertainty, including the military medical support to EU missions and operations, adjustment and lessons learned.
Chair: COL. MD David Cobo. Spain.
Panelists:
- The Choice for Unpreparedness. MJ. MD Clarys Sam. Belgium.
- Contribution of military medical services to national strategic plan against Covid-19. The Hellenic national defense general staff experience. COL. Vet Christos D. Vamvakidis. Greece.
- Assistance provided by the Bundeswehr and the Bundeswehr Joint Medical Service in Germany and abroad during the coronavirus pandemic within the framework of administrative assistance. COL. MD Kai Kehe. Germany.
- COVID prevention measures in operations.LTC PHA. Pedro Álvarez. Spain.
- Lessons identified in CSDP Operations and Missions in the context of the Covid pandemic. LTC. MD Christiane SCHELLER. EUMS. Belgium.
Discussion.
11.00–11.30
Coffee Break.
11.30–13.30
2nd Round Table II:
Chair: COL. MD David Cobo. Spain.
Panelists:
- CIMIC – Innovation in Crisis. LTC. MD Dimitrios Frangoulidis. Germany.
- The use of Slovak Mobile Field Hospitals in Home Country Support during COVID -19 Pandemic. LTC. MD Frantisek Gubás. Slovakia. VTC
- Mass testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Slovakia. COL. MD Marian Ivan. Slovakia. VTC
- Put to the test: development of a COVID-19 testing capacity to ensure Belgian operationality.CAP. MD. Vicent Claes. Belgium.
- Lessons learned from the investigation of a COVID-19 cluster in Creil. France: effectiveness of targeting symptomatic cases and conducting contact tracing around them. COL. MD De Frank de Laval. France.
- The chemical-intoxicated trauma patient challenges&approaches. COL. MD Dirk Steinritz. Germany.
Discussion.
13.30-14.45
Lunches.
15.00–17.00
3rd Round Table:Military support to European vaccination plans against pandemics.
Chair: COL. MD Maria Del Carmen Ybarra. Spain.
Panelists:
- Covid-19 vaccines transport for multinational operations. LTC. PHA Luc Van Parys. Belgium.
- The Pharmacist’s contribution to the COVID-19 pandemic. MAJ. PHA Martinne Van Innis. Belgium.
- Covid-19: commitment of French Ministry of the armed forces to vaccinate its community and the French population. LTC. PHA Sophie Salle. France.
- Military Covid-19 vaccination related activities.COL. MD Maria del Carmen Ariñez. Spain.
- Health promotion and educational activities developed by The IMPDEF vaccination plan, psychological perspective. CAP. PSY Leticia Escuredo Jimenez. Spain.
- Military nursing, cornerstone of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign for military personnel. CAP. NUR Gema Colmenar. Spain.
Discussion.
17.00–17.30
Coffee Break.
17.30–18.00
Wrap-up Day: COL. MD María Del Carmen Ariñez. LTC. MD Javier Daza.
18.45
Hotels Transfer .
Friday, October 8
09.00
CESEDEN Transfer.
09.30–10.00
Lecture VTC:"Working together in coordinating Military support to civilian authorities"
Brigadier General Andre-Erich Denk. Director Logistics European Union Military Staff.
10.00–10.30
Reading of Congress conclusions: Colonel MD Alberto Hernández Abadía. Spain.
10.30–11.00
Coffee Break.
11.00–12.00
Closing Ceremony: Major General PHA Juan José Sánchez Ramos. Chief of the Spanish Armed Forces Military Medical Services.
12.00-14.00
Farewell Cocktail.
14.00
Transfer to Hotels.
The registration period to attend the congress has been closed