Faced with pandemics, supply disruptions, cyberattacks, workforce exhaustion, and financial pressure, experts at the 2026 edition of Healthcare Week Luxembourg emphasised the need to build resilient and anti-fragile healthcare systems to better serve patient needs.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the healthcare system to rapidly re-organise itself. Six years later, healthcare systems around the world continue to evolve in response to a barrage of challenges, and Luxembourg is not immune. A study presented by CHL CEO Martine Goergen and Luxembourg Hospital Federation deputy director Sylvain Vitali found that respondents considered cyber risk and a lack of resources to be the top two risks facing the sector.
But there are many more. According to Marc Berna, vice-president of the Luxembourg Hospital Federation and director-general of the Hôpitaux Robert Schuman, the Greater Region faces five major challenges: the human factor and recruitment of talent; access to and continuity of care across borders; financial sustainability; digitalisation; and the need for continued and organised solidarity.
Resilience and anti-fragility: key themes
Berna, Goergen, and Vitali spoke during the introductory session to the fourth edition of Healthcare Week Luxembourg, which took place Wednesday and Thursday in Kirchberg. The main theme that surfaced during the panels and discussions was the need for a “resilient” and “anti-fragile” healthcare system. “Resilience,” as Berna explained, “is the ability to withstand a shock. Anti-fragility is the ability to come out of a crisis stronger.”
Health and social security minister Martine Deprez echoed the need to work together “to ensure that crises are not just trials to overcome, but also opportunities to sustainably improve our healthcare systems.” Anticipating risks, fostering better connections, and learning from past experiences are crucial, said the minister.
Initiatives like Digisanté and the European Health Data Space, she noted, encourage inter-operatibility, data-sharing, and reinforce the continuity of care, but the care of patients and security of their data must remain at the centre of any advancements in the healthcare domain. Luxembourg’s small size, Deprez concluded, can be an advantage, allowing people to collaborate, test solutions, and exchange ideas.
Resilience: not a plan, but a way of governing
How, concretely, can healthcare systems build resilience?
Robert Mardini’s answer has been shaped by his experience in the field. Today the CEO of the Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Mardini spent nearly three decades with the International Committee of the Red Cross, serving as director general of the organisation from 2020 to 2024.
“Resilience is not a plan,” he argued during a keynote speech at the conference. “It is a way of governing.”
The next crisis will not look like the last one. “It may be a fire, a heatwave, a cyberattack, a broken supply chain, a new virus, or something we have not yet imagined. So if you cannot predict what is coming, what exactly should we prepare for?”
Instead of relying on rigid manuals or careful forecasts, adaptive growth is the way to go. “We should prepare to move. To anticipate, decide, mobilise, adapt, and learn,” said Mardini. Whether that’s responding to mass casualties after an explosion in Beirut, treating burn victims after a fire in a Swiss mountain town, or handling an influx of patients during a heatwave, the system must be agile and adaptable. “A health system that is built to move is what we need to honour the needs of our respective populations.”
Anticipation is key, noted Mardini. “In a crisis, you respond with what you have prepared for yesterday.” During a crisis, information is fragmented, and decisions must be made quickly and without ambiguity. That makes it essential to define roles before a crisis, to have sources of reliable information, and trusted leaders.
Healthcare preparedness is not restricted to hospitals; it’s a responsibility shared across suppliers, digital platforms, energy providers, and other actors. “No hospital is an island, and no country is either,” said the CEO of the Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève. “Governing for resilience means knowing not only our own vulnerabilities but those of the system around us and investing in that ecosystem.”
Finally, the capability to learn is key. For Mardini, in fact, this is the most important element. It’s crucial to evaluate what has been learned from crises, and one hospital’s lesson can help countless others.
“Preparedness is not a crisis function; it is a leadership function,” he concluded. “The future will surprise us. Our responsibility is not to eliminate surprises. It is to make sure that when surprise comes, our organisations are ready to move and emerge better equipped for what comes next.”
Takeaways from the FHL study
The FHL resilience and anti-fragility study conclusions run largely parallel to the points highlighted by Mardini. The Luxembourg Hospital Federation also emphasises the need for anticipation and adaptation, emphasising key action points: adapt processes; be flexible with resources and team mobility; build community resilience and better coordination through solid links between institutions; encourage innovation and new technology; ensure transparency and efficient communication; provide support for healthcare workers; prioritise the accessibility of care; and invest in prevention.
