High-level Stakeholders Discuss Innovative Solutions for Green Kidney Care at the European Kidney Forum
The European Kidney Health Alliance (EKHA), of which the ISN is a full board member, held its annual European Kidney Forum in June alongside the MEP Group for Kidney Health. The meeting brought together high-level stakeholders to discuss concrete and forward-looking solutions to the environmental burden of kidney care.
This year’s forum, “The Future of Kidney Care – Investing in Green Nephrology to Meet the European Green Deal Targets,” highlighted the need for green nephrology to become standard practice. It focused on the bidirectional relationship between nephrology and the environment and discussed progressive solutions and EU opportunities for environmentally friendly kidney care.
Key speakers included MEP Hilde Vautmans and MEP Juozas Olekas, MEP Group for Kidney Health chair and member, respectively. Mr. Daniel Gallego, president of the European Kidney Patients’ Federation, stressed that to achieve both a better quality of life for people on dialysis and environmentally sustainable kidney care, “Innovation is not only possible – it is imperative.”
Ms. Fiona Loud, a member of the ISN Patient Liaison Advisory Group and policy director at Kidney Care UK, was on the panel and discussed the impact of the current energy crisis on the continuity of safe and effective kidney care.
To enable a paradigm shift around kidney care, the EU will be crucial in increasing awareness, providing funding, and prioritizing this issue on its policy agenda. Similarly, all key stakeholders – including patients, healthcare providers, funders, and policymakers – must collaborate to find innovative solutions.
Building on this momentum at the EU level, the ISN will continue working alongside the EKHA and other partners and stakeholders to improve the lives of people suffering from kidney disease in Europe and globally.
