Amcham yearbook 2007-Tom5 - American Chamber of Commerce ...

Meet the Leaders
Launched in 2006, AmCham’s Meet the Leaders events bring
together key officials in government and industry to discuss
issues of shared concern. The first two forums addressed two of
Denmark’s most pressing issues, the quality and competitiveness
of healthcare and the social welfare system.
Thorning-Schmidt to AmCham:
Welfare System Should Adapt
Social welfare systems must be efficient and
results-oriented in order to meet the needs of
an ever-changing world.
That was what Helle Thorning-Schmidt,
leader of Denmark’s Social Democratic Party,
told 90 business leaders, diplomats, and
party officials who gathered in March for
AmCham’s Executive Director Stephen Brugger engages
Helle Thorning-Schmidt in a lively Q & A following the keynote.
AmCham’s first Meet the Leaders Power
Lunch event. Some take-away points from
her presentation:
• Denmark needs outside-the-box thinking
to make the public sector more cost
effective.
• The current government has dropped the
ball on research and development funding
that would boost the economy globally,
particularly in renewable energy.
• The government is missing opportunities
for public sector market economy connections.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Ambassador James Cain at the Power Lunch.
He introduced Thorning-Schmidt as “a person of style, substance and savvy.”
Rasmussen told AmCham that while he “doesn’t completely
agree” with everything in the Chamber’s 2006 Healthcare
Policy Agenda, he appreciates its perspectives.
Key Danish Minister
Discusses Healthcare Reforms
AmCham members convened in September
to hear Danish Interior and Health Minister
Lars Løkke Rasmussen describe how unfolding
reforms and innovations are improving
Denmark’s healthcare system. Rasmussen
said the keys to improving Danish health
care include:
Members of the Pharmaceutical Committee posed questions to the minister.
• A centralized, consolidated hospital structure
• Preventive measures to identify and treat symptoms earlier
• A more open, clear and patient-oriented system
Steen Horsleth, Varian Medical
Systems, and Anders Bagger,
GE Healthcare, were among
the participants.
• More public-private initiatives, such as centers of excellence and specialized hospitals,
to make the Øresund region even more of an international healthcare hub.
40 41