Conference ‘Together for Health’ 2026: what the signals mean for health technology
On March 15, 2026, policymakers, healthcare executives and technologists gathered at the ‘Together for Health, Care and Wellbeing’ conference. The message was clear: healthcare must fundamentally change. What does this mean for healthtech investors?
Shifting forward: from reactive to preventive care
One of the strongest signals at the conference was the emphatic shift from treatment to prevention. The central question: with what perspective can people solve their health questions at home? This is not a non-binding ambition — it is a necessity in a sector struggling with growing staff shortages and rising healthcare costs.
Minister Mirjam spoke of “the healthiest society ever” and “compassionate care.” Behind these words lies a concrete agenda: more investment in self-management, digital support, and mobilizing both caregivers and patients. The message was clear: we need to work more on inspiration, so we can show how it works and why it works.
What this means for health technology
The shift towards prevention requires digital tools that enable patients and clients to take control of their own health. Think of personal health environments (PHEs), mHealth apps for self-monitoring, and telecare for accessible contact with healthcare providers. The CareHub ecosystem supports this shift by connecting existing care systems, making information seamlessly available — even in the home setting.
“There must be a national EHR”
The strongest statement of the conference came from the panel discussion on network care: there must be a national EHR. This call reflects a deeply felt frustration in the field. Healthcare providers daily encounter the limitations of fragmented systems that cannot communicate with each other.
The question is: what do we mean by a “national EHR”? A single, centralized system for all of the Netherlands is both technically and practically unfeasible — the healthcare sector is too diverse, the systems too specialized. What is feasible and desirable: a national interoperability layer that connects existing EHRs and ECDs via open standards.
The building blocks already exist
The answer to the call for a national EHR is therefore not one new system, but an ecosystem of connected systems. This is exactly the approach of the CareHub ecosystem: connecting existing software via open standards, without vendor lock-in, while preserving sector specialization.
Network care: end of the silos
The panel discussion on network care struck a chord. Speakers emphasized the importance of engagement and truly listening, of showing vulnerability in care, and of paying attention to the quiet voices — the caregivers and patients who daily experience the consequences of systems that don’t work together.
The crucial question posed: do we truly feel that urgency? The reality is that many healthcare institutions are already struggling internally with silos — departments working past each other, systems that don’t communicate, and information locked in data silos. Before network care between organizations is possible, collaboration within organizations must be in order.
PCD perspective
Technology can build bridges where organizational boundaries fail. Standards like FHIR and Koppeltaal enable systems to seamlessly share data, regardless of the vendor. The ecosystem model — where specialized healthtech companies collaborate via a shared integration layer — is the technological answer to the organizational silo problem.
The keynote “Help! A care rebel” summed it up aptly: we want to do the right things for the caregiver, the patient, the client. That requires systems that support the human dimension — not more technology, but better technology that relieves caregivers and empowers patients.
What this means for healthtech investors
The signals from this conference are unambiguous: the Dutch government, the healthcare field and the patient movement are pushing in the same direction. Digitalization is no longer optional but required. The IZA ambitions, the Wegiz obligation and political will create a unique market environment for healthtech investments.
Legislation
Wegiz mandates digital exchange — compliance-driven demand
Prevention
Shift to upstream care — growing market for digital health
Urgency
Staff shortages — technology as essential solution
Healthtech companies that combine interoperability, workload reduction and patient empowerment find themselves in the sweet spot of this market dynamic. The call for a national EHR — however interpreted — confirms that the sector is ready for platform solutions that connect systems.
For PCD CareHub, this conference confirms the investment thesis behind the CareHub ecosystem: the market doesn’t need yet another new system, but an interoperability layer that connects existing systems via open standards. The government supports that direction, the field demands it, and legislation mandates it. That is a rare combination.
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