Healthcare in Europe.

Between state control and private enterprise.
Dr. Michael Philippi, CEO of Sana Kliniken AG

With about 26,000 employees, Sana Kliniken AG, which is headquartered in Ismaning near Munich, runs almost fifty hospitals in Germany and cares for some 1.6 million patients. The German group of hospitals is seen as the country’s benchmark in terms of the medical services offered and patient satisfaction.

On October 8 the Entrepreneurial School® at Management Center Innsbruck took pleasure in welcoming Dr. Michael Philippi, CEO of Sana Kliniken AG, who gave a talk in the framework of the MCI Alumni & Friends lecture series.

In his presentation, Dr. Philippi, who studied business management, stressed the role of the state in the national health system. With regard to health and personal wellbeing, he said that people became “irrational”, and personal health, as an important and possibly the most important good, could not therefore be considered in pure market economy terms. “Complete control over prices is not always possible,” the CEO added.

Dr. Philippi also spoke about the importance of a fully functional and above all generally available healthcare system for the infrastructure of a region. People want to live where they know they will be well looked after or at least where there are good healthcare facilities in the area.

In spite of today’s problems in recruiting suitable personnel, especially nurses and carers, and reduced budgets for research and development, Dr. Philippi is confident that progress will continue to be made in the level of treatment available to patients. He also stressed the growing importance of international cooperation in Europe as a development to the mutual benefit of all.

The talk was chaired by Professor Siegfried Walch.