Staff shortages are a well-known problem in healthcare. There are also major challenges financially. "But I also see another problem when it comes to the organization and future of healthcare," Jet Bussemaker said prior to the presentation of the National Healthcare Innovation Award 2026.
According to the president of the Council for Public Health and Society, only 10 percent of health problems are solved by healthcare.
Other health determinants
There are many other determinants of health, such as a lack of social networks, loneliness, or a built environment where people cannot live healthy lives. "At the same time, problems are being 'pulled into' care today that don't belong there at all. Think of children with behavioral problems, people who are lonely and frequently visit the doctor or the hospital. So we have to solve those problems in a different way."
Also read: National Care Innovation Award 2026: check out the finalists
Thinking more about people and society
That other way, which is thinking less about care and more about health. And less about individuals and more about people and society. "Social developments are determining how we experience health. Care, even with many more people, can never solve all those societal problems." That requires a different approach, which Bussemaker calls "flipping the healthcare system.
Also read: Ditto: 'The biggest pitfall is waiting for a good idea'
How does value-driven technology contribute to resilience?
When it comes to innovations in healthcare, that means thinking from the people themselves and from their health conditions, not from policy mandates or purely medical considerations.
"As far as I'm concerned, the task for the coming years is how to ensure that ICT systems and value-driven technology contribute to resilience, to patient independence and also as much as possible to the creation of social networks in which people can shape that themselves. What do we want society to look like in ten or twenty years? And how do we want social innovation and technical innovation to contribute to that?"
Developing in co-creation with clients and professionals
Bussemaker called for innovation that is value-driven, person-centered and developed in co-creation with clients and professionals. "And not from 'systems logic.'"
The two winners of the National Care Innovation Award are good examples: Ditto, the app that summarizes what doctors say, chosen winner by the professional jury, and Ambyon ONE's logistics care robot, developed together with "nurse innovators," chosen by the public.
Also read: Ambyon ONE: 'Job satisfaction is under pressure and we need to do something about it'
Innovation is never finished
"Fantastic innovations," Bussemaker called both the winners and the other nominees. And she especially called for continued innovation.
"Whether you're the winner or not, innovation is never finished. Keep developing that learning culture together, even after today. Values change, people change, society changes. You will have to keep thinking. But keep thinking from the world of patients and citizens themselves. What does a healthcare provider or a citizen need in order to function better? These may well be small steps, but if we all take small steps, we will eventually take a big step toward future-oriented care."
