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January 11, 2002

In this newsletter:

• Mark the dates in your 2002 agenda
• Meetings scheduled in conjunction with the Telemedicine & Telecare International Trade Fair
• Risk Management Workshops by Schweitzer Insurance and AMMD
• ITU to present new Telemedicine Directory
• Polish Medical University looking for partners
• Interest for telemedicine services in developing countries is growing
• Find products for distribution in your own market or for use in your own organization and attend educational programs to increase your knowledge and expertise in the field of telemedicine
• Exhibit and expand your business worldwide
• Travelling made easy and affordable - book your hotel and flights now

Mark the dates in your 2002 agenda
From the entire Telemedicine & Telecare International Trade Fair Team, we wish you all the best for a healthy, successful and prosperous new year, filled with many new and exciting discoveries. We hope that one of those discoveries for you will be the new Telemedicine & Telecare International Trade Fair and its host city Luxembourg. Mark these dates in your agenda in order not to miss this event:

Meetings scheduled in conjunction with the Telemedicine & Telecare International Trade Fair
Next to the exhibition and the educational and information programs of the Telemedicine Trade Fair itself, several organizations have also scheduled additional meetings in the margin of this event.
Schweitzer Insurance and the Luxembourg Association of Medical Doctors and Dentists (AMMD) will be presenting their 3rd Luxembourg Risk Management Workshop. They are also starting up their new E-Health Risk Management Conference.
The Luxembourg Society of Nuclear Medicine (SLMN) will be holding their annual conference in conjunction with the Telemedicine Trade Fair, inviting nuclear medicine specialists from within Luxembourg and representatives of sister associations in neighbouring countries. The European Association of Hospital Managers (EAHM) is planning a board meeting during the Telemedicine Trade Fair with board members from about 20 European countries. Finally, the NATO Workgroup on Telemedicine will convene during the Telemedicine Trade Fair and will also be taking on an active role in the general educational and information program.
The Telemedicine Trade Fair's educational/information program will exist of parallel sessions in the morning hours, with presentations by exhibitors and other industry experts on practical applications. During the day, there will also be a program of business and telehealth related presentations by representatives of the European Commission, International Telecommunication Union, NATO, Russian Telemedicine Foundation and Deloitte & Touche. More information on this educational program will be available on www.telemedicine.lu soon and in one of our upcoming newsletters.
For questions about this educational program or any other of the above mentioned meetings, please feel free to contact us at .

Risk Management Workshops by Schweitzer Insurance and AMMD
Schweitzer Versicherungen S.à r.l. is an international insurance broker located in Luxembourg. The company specializes in international consultancies in matters covering finance, investment capital and insurance. A major part of the company's dealing involves the development and tailoring of insurance coverage for the self-employed, using all the advantages offered by the open market.
Three years ago, Schweitzer, together with the Luxembourg Association of Medical Doctors and Dentists (AMMD) initiated the concept of "Lux Medical Care". This prudential initiative represents an optimal arrangement to meet the insurance requirements of the medical professions. From the beginning of its operations, Schweitzer attracted almost 350 physicians and dentists, representing a market share of more than 30%. "Lux Medical Care" provides comprehensive insurance to the medical professions as well as the provision of prudential medical liability coverage. However, the chief advantage of the "Lux Medical Care" concept lies in its innovative and holistic consultative approach.
"Best Medical Care" is developed specifically to suit the needs of the medical profession within Germany and will be launched on July 1st, 2002. Concerning the topic of medical liability insurance, Schweitzer + Partner Assekuranzkonzepte, a subsidiary of Schweitzer S.à r.l., initiated www.risk-management.lu.Risk Management represents a strategy that employs the expertise of seasoned professionals who are familiar with the international insurance market and whose extensive networks, knowledge and technical competence combine to ensure the best possible outcomes for customers amidst increasingly complicated legal medical liability cases. Actual risk management, quality assurance and the advantages in adopting a holistic approach to medical liability issues are demonstrated by video presentation. Medical risk management - recent history clearly shows that medico/legal issues are rapidly becoming a major international concern. The burden of proof has shifted to the defending medical practitioner, demanding increasingly detailed record keeping for evidence on their behalf. Meanwhile, the system of consulting physicians has increasingly blurred distinctions between individual and contracting hospital liabilities in legal argument. Such issues are explored on our website using real life experiences, examples and solutions.
www.risk-management.lu is staging its 3rd Risk Management Workshop in Luxembourg on April 10th and 11th, 2002. International experts from Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg will address actual risk management problems in the margin of the Telemedicine & Telecare International Trade Fair. With regards to this first Telemedicine Trade Fair, www.risk-management.lu has taken the initiative from the secretary general of the AMMD, Dr. Daniel Mart, and has commissioned the E-Health Risk Management Conference in Luxembourg. It is envisioned that this conference will very quickly take the shape of an information and discussion forum able to address some of the deepening problems of e-health medicine in greater detail. The staging of both international conferences in Luxembourg, confirms Luxembourg's continuing development as an important and permanent hub of information at the centre of the European health industry.

ITU to present new Telemedicine Directory
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with assistance of the Telemedicine & Telecare International Trade Fair and the European Union, has prepared a Telemedicine Directory. This directory will be presented by ITU next April at the Telemedicine Trade Fair in Luxembourg, together with other ITU projects and activities in the field of telemedicine.
The main goal of the directory is to assist developing countries by providing them with a reference on suppliers of telemedicine equipment. Currently there are more than 50 companies listed in the document. They offer a wide range of equipment (both hardware and software), from a very sophisticated one for remote monitoring telepathology, to simple equipment for transtelephonic ECG transmission. Some selected telemedicine projects implemented by the European Commission within its research programmes have also been included in order to emphasize the potential of telemedicine.
According to Hamadoun Touré, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau of ITU, information about telemedicine technologies and services is not available everywhere, and this telemedicine directory will help fill the gap. He continues: "I also believe that it is important for healthcare professionals to visit exhibitions and trade fairs fully devoted to telemedicine applications. It would be extremely useful for them to see - under one umbrella - several possible telemedicine applications. For this reason we are amongst the supporters of the first Telemedicine & Telecare International Trade Fair which will be held in Luxembourg from 10 to 12 April 2002." Although this directory has mainly been set up to assist developing countries, it is obvious that this will also be a useful and interesting tool for everyone, wherever in the world, to find information on available resources and existing projects.
If you are a supplier of telemedicine related equipment or services and would also like to be featured in a following edition of the Telemedicine Directory, contact us at .

Polish Medical University looking for partners
The Department of Internal Diseases of the Silesian Medical University in Bytom and Katowice (Poland) will be represented at the Telemedicine & Telecare International Trade Fair by Prof. Andrzej Brodziak, Head of the Department. Prof. Brodziak will make a presentation on the "Objectives and the Architecture of the Medical Supportive Problem Solver (SPS)". The Department is looking for appropriate partners, interested in the realization of this new software. If you are interested in meeting with Prof. Brodziak at the Telemedicine Trade Fair, in order to find out more about the SPS, send your complete contact details to and we will put you in touch with Prof. Brodziak.

Interest for telemedicine services in developing countries is growing
For the first time, three international organizations, namely United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and World Health Organization (WHO) have recently jointly organized a workshop in Cairo (Egypt) under the title "From Telemedicine to E-Health: Information and New Telecommunication Technologies as a Tool to Improve the Health Care Services in Developing Countries". The following countries were present: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen and Ethiopia.
The ambitious telemedicine programme in Egypt was presented, where fifteen hospitals in different parts of the country will be connected by June 2002 to a telemedicine network using ISDN technology.
Mr. Hamadoun Touré, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau of ITU said in his address: "The continuing decline in the cost of telecommunications and information technology have spurred a new wave of enthusiasm for telemedicine, particularly in developing countries. It is in these countries where telemedicine's greatest asset - allowing specialist medical expertise to be delivered to regions and locations where doctors are few on the ground - shows the best prospects for success. For governments struggling with limited health care budgets, a shortage of doctors and other health care professionals, dispersed rural hospitals and poor transportation infrastructure, telemedicine may help them overcome some of these difficult challenges in meeting the health care needs of their citizens." The efforts of UNIDO, ITU and WHO to raise the awareness among policy and decision makers at all levels about the benefits of modern information and telecommunication technologies for the delivery of health care services, were largely applauded by the workshop participants.

Find products for distribution in your own market or for use in your own organization and attend educational programs to increase your knowledge and expertise in the field of telemedicine
A visit to the Telemedicine & Telecare International Trade Fair will give you the chance:

• to meet with a wide range of suppliers of telemedicine equipment or ancillary services to the telemedicine industry
• to meet with international institutions and organizations involved in telemedicine research, development and implementation
• to ask questions you have pertaining to the implementation of telemedicine applications in your organization
• to step away for a few days from your daily activities and to focus completely on new opportunities to become more efficient
• to find new products for distribution in your country or market
• to spot future trends
• to attend high profile presentations on clinical, business and regulatory subjects presented by industry experts
• to make useful contacts with other attendees and to exchange thoughts and ideas.

The registration fee is only € 20,- for pre-registration and payment before 12 March 2002. This fee includes access to the exhibition and to the educational programs. Details about the educational programs will be available soon on www.telemedicine.lu and will also be sent to you in one of the upcoming newsletters. You will also be able to attend two great networking events: a welcome reception is scheduled on the evening of the first day of the trade fair (April 10th) at the Cercle Municipal in the center of town. Another reception is scheduled at the close of the second day of the trade fair (April 11th) at the FIL exhibition center itself. These two social events will give you the chance to unwind after a hard day's work and to discuss with your peers experiences from the past and visions for the future in a relaxed atmosphere. So register yourself now for the Telemedicine Trade Fair by filling out a visitor registration form.

Exhibit and expand your business worldwide
Join the likes of Aerotel, Agfa Healthcare, Card Guard, Eutelsat, MediBRIDGE, Philips Medical Systems, Schiller, TensioMed and other industry leaders. If you are a manufacturer or supplier of telemedical equipment, or if you offer telecommunication services or information technology for use in telemedicine applications, consider what the return could be on the small investment of participating at the Telemedicine & Telecare International Trade Fair:


• meet with your existing customer base and show them your new developments
• meet with new potential customers
• find out about the needs in the market and develop new products or adapt your existing products to meet those needs
• establish contacts with representatives of international institutions and organizations and find out about opportunities to work together with them in the implementation of telemedicine projects
• organize a meeting with your sales agents or distributors to add direction and momentum to your sales program
• make a presentation on a thought provoking subject and increase your exposure at the event and your status as an innovative force in the field of telemedicine.

So sign up now by filling out an application form and take advantage of free pre-show promotional opportunities in our newsletters and on our website. If you have any questions, e-mail us at , or contact our international coordinating office in Belgium by telephone at +32 2 269 84 56, or by fax at +32 2 269 79 53

Travelling made easy and affordable - book your hotel and flights now!
Discounted hotel rates have been negotiated for your stay in Luxembourg during the Telemedicine Trade Fair with hotels located near the FIL exhibition center (Novotel) and its surroundings (Hilton, Alvisse Parc Hotel), near the airport (Sheraton, Ibis, Campanile) and in the city center (Le Royal, Grand Hotel Mercure Alfa). With FIL being only a 5 minutes drive away from the airport and 5 minutes from the city center, all of the above hotels are conveniently located. To book a hotel at the discounted rates, make your reservations via the Luxembourg Convention Bureau. Click here for the rate list and to make your on-line reservation request or to download a fax form. Or if you want extra information about the different hotels, go to www.luxembourg-city.lu/touristinfo or contact the Luxembourg Convention Bureau at . If you would like to extend your stay in Luxembourg during the weekend, and would like information about sightseeing opportunities or city tours, the Luxembourg Convention Bureau is available to provide you with more information.
Luxembourg is very easy to get to, from almost anywhere in Europe. With Carlson Wagonlit Travel offering great travel deals, there's no reason to miss the Telemedicine & Telecare International Trade Fair, even if you can only attend for a day. There are lots of options for a 1-day return trip to Luxembourg from many cities in Europe with a morning arrival and a late afternoon or evening departure. Contact Carlson Wagonlit to find out about the travel possibilities from a city near you. Of course, if you are able to stay more than just one day, you will be able to take advantage of the attractive hotel rates on offer by the Luxembourg Convention Bureau too. Also if you are travelling from outside Europe, Carlson Wagonlit will assist you in making the arrangements for your inter-continental travel. So contact them today to make your bookings now and to secure the best available rates.

 
 


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