Bavarian State Minister of the Environment and Public Health

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to warmly welcome you to the 16th ESNCH Congress. I am pleased that you have once again chosen Munich as your venue where, back in 1996, the foundations were laid for the successful global development of new ultrasound diagnostic procedures and new therapeutic techniques in neurology.

The ultrasound procedure is an outstanding method for depicting the course of a pathological process such as a stroke in a quick, painless and non-invasive manner. The German Society for Neurology estimates that strokes are developing into the greatest danger for health. According to the data of the Erlangen Stroke Register, the number of initial strokes is currently already 180 cases per 100,000 residents and year.

Qualified region-wide stroke care creates major challenges for healthcare policy. In addition to the supraregional Stroke Units, two telemedical networks – TEMPiS for the region of South-East Bavaria and STENO for the region of Northern Bavaria – have been accepted into the regular healthcare in Bavaria. On the basis of its impressive results for the well-being of patients, the idea of spreading neurological competence and practical experience has attracted attention beyond Bavaria and Germany.

Prevention and the promotion of health are important focal points of Bavarian healthcare policy. Projects were funded with 3.3 mil¬lions euros for this purpose in 2010. We want to motivate the Bavarian population to practise health-promoting lifestyles and therefore strengthen personal responsibility for health. The most frequent diseases of civilisation such as cardiovascular disorders and their secondary diseases like high blood pressure, strokes and diabetes can frequently be prevented in this manner. As a result, we make an important contribution to increasing the individual quality of life and simultaneously ensure that costs are considerably reduced in the healthcare system.

I wish your conference every success and I wish all of the participants a pleasant and productive visit to Munich.

Dr. Markus Söder MdL
Bavarian State Minister of the Environment and Public Health