The International Federation of Hospital Engineering (IFHE)’s 22nd Annual Congress (HEJ – February 2012), held in April on board the Norwegian coastal steamer, the Hurtigruten m/s Midnatsol, as it journeyed down Norway’s spectacular west coast, saw almost 400 delegates, from 34 countries, enjoy topical international presentations, a varied social programme, and visits to leading hospitals.
After meetings of the IFHE’s Executive Committee and Council on board ship on 12 and 13 April respectively in Kirkenes, north-eastern Norway, the Midnatsol journeyed to Tromsø, to pick up the bulk of the delegates. While awaiting its arrival, those gathered enjoyed an on-shore get-together, and a visit to the University Hospital of North Norway.
Opening ‘on board ship’
Congress, organised by Norway’s Forum for Sykehus Tekniske Ledelse (FSTL), was officially ‘opened’ the next morning (on 14 April) on board the Midnatsol by Lars Vorland, director of the Northern Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Nord), who discussed the development of healthcare in his region, and more widely. Ole Rist, confirmed as the IFHE’s new President at the Federation’s Council meeting on 13 April, said: “Lars Vorland told delegates a little about new hospital construction schemes in northern Norway, where favourable economic conditions are impacting positively. This presentation was followed by a performance of songs about life in northern Norway from local musicians and story-tellers, Boknakaran.” The ship’s first port of call with a full complement was Stokmarknes, where delegates visited the construction site of a new hospital for patients on the Vesteralen archipelago.
International spread
“It was interesting to note that all Norway’s hospitals had been taken into national government ownership, meaning funds for development seem in far greater supply,” said Andy Wavell, who attended as IHEEM’s IFHE representative. “Based around three key topics – hospital design, architecture, and construction; facilities management and administration, and hospital technology, this year’s extremely varied papers were given by speakers from all over the world.” The evening of 14 April saw a tribute, ‘Laurie’s Night’, held for the late Laurie Hadley, a past IHEEM and IFHE President, and honorary member of FTSL, who left a legacy to be used at an appropriate international event. The following evening, delegates enjoyed an ‘Argentinian night’, promoting the next IFHE International Congress, which is to be held in Buenos Aires, in 2014.
St Olav’s visit ‘the highlight’
“The Congress’s biggest highlight of all for me, however,” Andy Wavell explained, “was a subsequent visit to St Olav’s Hospital in Trondheim (HEJ – February 2012), reckoned to be among Europe’s most modern healthcare facilities. A real pleasure to walk around, St Olav’s is light and airy; there were few, if any, vehicles on the campus – it appears all car parking is underground; the waiting areas were never overcrowded, and there was plenty of outdoor space. Below ground is the hospital’s heart for the facility’s healthcare estates engineers. Especially notable here were the centralised waste system; a state-of-the-art pneumatic tube system connected to the hospital’s pharmacy and drug dispensing service, and robots that deliver items to wards. We also saw maintenance staff using scooters, loaded with tools, to get around via a network of subterranean roadways.”
Winning papers
The Congress’s last evening saw a formal dinner, while on the final day, before the IFHE’s General Assembly, a summing up of all the presentations was made, and a group that had listened to all the papers decided on the best. Andy Wavell said: “The standard was so high that the group awarded two certificates per category.” The ‘Hospital design, architecture, and construction’ category awards went to Argentina’s Luciano Monza and Norway’s Per Christian Brynildsen; Kenya’s Salome Mwaura and the host country’s Anna Katharine Larsen won the awards in the ‘Facilities management’ category, and the ‘Hospital technology’ category saw awards given to Sam Wanda from Uganda, and Spain’s Louis Sterling Gonzales. Before the event’s close, the IFHE General Assembly confirmed the new Executive Committee, and thanked the retiring members, with special gifts given to retiring General Secretary, Bernard Shapiro. Liliana Font, IFHE’s First Vice- President, also announced the scientific committee for the Argentinian Congress, in Buenos Aires. Ole Rist adds: “I would like to thank both ‘departing’ Executive Committee members – Bernard Shapiro, Jim Cook, Gaston Lam, Reinfred Sure, and Francisco Castella – for their excellent work, and also all those involved in arranging the 2012 IFHE Congress.”
