Magda Kalata
The European Health Parliament is a platform for young professionals to brainstorm about making Europe a healthier place and re-think the European healthcare system. The Health Parliament in Brussels aims at tackling European challenges in the health care systems with innovative ideas and discussions. On their first official meeting on November 21, the Parliamentarians elected the committee-chairs and president. Madga Kalata was elected as first president of the European Health Parliament. For our blog she spoke with us about the parliament, her goals and the election.
Congratulations on your election! Did you intend to stand as candidate or was it rather a “spontaneous” decision?
“Thank you! I must admit that I was very excited to take part in the European Health Parliament, but the height of my ambition at the start of the first plenary session was to (hopefully!) be chosen as a chair for my subcommittee. My colleagues in the subcommittee, however, had a bigger plan and were very supportive and encouraging – I could hardly ignore their enthusiasm! I’m very glad to have been chosen though and really appreciate the positive reinforcement from all of the delegates.”
How did the first days of the presidency of the European Health Parliament look like? What did you do/ work on?
“So far, EHP has been full of – positive – surprises. The organisers have some really exciting plans and challenges for us, which, I think, the delegates are definitely up for. The work is really just getting started and as each of the subcommittees prepares their central policy questions, we are also working together between committees to ensure that there are synergies and that we live up to the demands of the diverse healthcare needs in Europe. As is often the case before the end of the year, it’s an exciting and busy time at EHP.”
What do you want to achieve with the European Health Parliament? What are your goals?
“With just the first plenary session behind us, I think that there is a lot of positive energy among the delegates. We’re still young enough to be hopeful that we can make sustainable changes and we have enough know-how among us to make sure these changes reflect the European healthcare needs – it’s a winning combination. It’s difficult to speak for everyone, but for me personally, I think it’s about ensuring the views of the younger generation are included in the policies floating around the EU. We won’t have all of the answers, but even if we raise new questions and provide some fresh food for thought to policymakers, I think we would have done a good job.”
What topics does the EHP work on?
“We will be covering seven topics through the work of EHP, each of which has a dedicated subcommittee and which together showcase some of the key discussions in European healthcare: role of big data, cross-border health threats, access, patient empowerment, economics, prevention of chronic diseases, and mHealth.”
How did you hear from the European Health Parliament? What was your motivation to apply?
“The Brussels bubble is alive and well, so it’s no surprise that I heard about EHP through the grapevine. Immediately it sounded alluring! For me, it’s a great opportunity to meet young people working in healthcare or with a general interest in the topic. Why is that relevant? Well, maybe just to be totally cliché, we are the future. And to be slightly less cliché, those of us interested in the field will likely be in touch for years to come, so why not start now?”
Did you know of the work of the German Young Lions Health Parliament before?
“Unfortunately, I have to be honest and say that no, I hadn’t. But that is likely due to my mastery of the German language, which also quite unfortunately, begins and ends with asking “What time is it?”. However, I know that many of us had a chance to meet with Konrad, David and Annegret, who offered us newbies some good advice and a hefty amount of inspiration – I think you have given us a lot to live up to!”
The president of the European Health Parliament is a women, and so are six out of the seven committee chairs. Thoughts/ comments?
“We actually joked about this with the other chairs! In her presentation, Annegret encouraged the women in the room to step up to the plate and in the end, we did so in such force that we were only joined by one man. Be careful what you wish for! But in all seriousness, while it’s certainly empowering to have women in leading roles, health is not a gender or age-specific issue and we’ll all have to work closely together to create the sustainable approaches to healthcare that we want as part of our daily lives.”
About Magda
Experience
- European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association ׀ Brussels, Belgium ׀ April 2012 – Present
Government Affairs and Public Policy - TheBeginner.eu ׀ Brussels, Belgium ׀ May 2010 – March 2013
Staff Writer/Head Editor - Gellis Communications and Public Affairs ׀ Brussels, Belgium ׀ August 2010 – January 2012
Account Executive - European Commission ׀ Brussels, Belgium ׀ April 2010 – July 2010
Stagiaire in DG Communication - Symphony Publishing ׀ New York, New York ׀ January 2008 – August 2008
Editorial Intern - New Europe ׀ Brussels, Belgium ׀ January 2007 – May 2007
Journalism Intern
Education
- Uniwerystet Jagiellonski ׀ Krakow, Poland ׀ October 2008 – March 2010
Master of the Arts in Euroculture - Rijksuniversiteit Groningen ׀ Groningen, the Netherlands ׀ August 2008 – December 2009
Master of the Arts in Euroculture - Fordham University ׀ New York, New York ׀ September 2004 – May 2008
Bachelor of the Arts in Political Science; Communication and Media Studies
