EPBS News: Monday 7 July 2003

Ist Congress of the Health Technologies Forum
Lisbon 2003

Under the theme 'The Future is built in the Present Time', the 1st Congress of the Health Technologies Forum was held on 7th and 8th March, in the city of Lisbon, Portugal.

This Forum had the participation of 15 paramedical professional associations as well as the Sindicato das Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde and promoted a congress exclusively oriented to the professional policies such as the professional self regulation, the incorporation of an Association for the 18 paramedical professions, the Bologna process and the reforms of the initial and post graduate education, school network and free circulation in the E.U.

Some of the most important academic and political personalities were present in this congress as well as the Chairman of the European Association For Professions in Biomedical Science, Mr. Martin Nicholson, and the Chairman of AETEL, Mr. Juan Carlos, invited by the Sindicato das Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde.

Considered a unique event in the history of the paramedical professions, and in accordance with the closing speech made by the Chairman of SCTS, Mr. Almerindo Rego, this Congress expressed the development and the maturity of professions and biomedical sciences organizations, as engines of the new realities within the biomedical sciences. This model should be followed in the European Union, where Portugal is inserted.

For the EPBS Chairman, Martin Nicholson, this Congress showed how much we can do together, with real gains for both professions and professionals.

According to Mr. Almerindo Rego, from SCTS, it is important to understand the various professional links that, with the exponential development of the biomedical sciences, will lead to multi-sectoral and inter-professional approaches, aiming to successively and progressively adapt the support sciences to professions