Talking resilience: Preparing healthcare for new threats (Morning Rounds 2026)

Background: Today, our healthcare systems are facing a new a security reality. Military and hybrid scenarios, cyber attacks, natural disasters, and pandemics all require resilient healthcare systems that can withstand internal and external pressures while providing the highest quality of care. Placing resilience in the spotlight requires initiative on the European, national, and sub-national level, fostering coordinated cooperation among different levels of administration and across society. As organisations representing physicians, the GMA and KBV would like to take stock of the situation in Europe one year after the publication of the Preparedness Union Strategy. These organisations, together with European institutions, Member States, international organisations, and stakeholders, will discuss how the EU can support its Member States in developing more resilient healthcare systems, and what we can learn from countries currently facing acute military threats. Objectives: • To maintain awareness of the importance of resilience and preparedness planning, focusing on how healthcare for the civil population can be provided in times of crisis or conflict • To remind of the need for follow-up action (Presenting a strategy alone is not enough) at EU and national level • To create an understanding of civil-military cooperation • To learn from countries which are ahead in implementing preparedness strategies • To consider the division of responsibilities (EU/national/sub-national) and the advantages of decentralised structures, emphasising the need for EU-wide cooperation • To shift the focus from hospitals to a wider understanding of healthcare, including office-based physicians i.a. • To present the German medical profession (represented by the GMA and KBV) as a competent and reliable contact for EU institutions regarding the crisis preparedness of healthcare.