Programme

26^th November 2026 - Venue to be announced shortly

Programme is being completed and is subject to changes, please re-visit this page for any updates

08:00

Registration & Coffee

08:30

Welcome & Introduction

Mark Azzopardi, Co-Founder at Working Town

08:35

Keynote (by video): A prescription for change

"Leadership in an era of healthcare disruption"

A message from Dr Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament

Chapter 1

Healthcare & society:

Equitable access to innovative medicines

08:50

2 interventions: Innovation without borders

"Ensuring equal access to healthcare regardless of where we live"

Gertrude Buttigieg, Chairperson at the Malta Health Network | Sina Bugeja, European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR)

09:20

Panel: Borders, barriers & budgets

"The challenge to access innovative medicines"

Led by Kenneth Briffa, Chair of the Healthcare Executive Commitee of the Malta Chamber

Panelists: Dr Clement Mifsud Bonnici, Partner at Ganado Advocates | Representative from EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries & Associations) | Representative of the Malta Chamber | Finance and pharmaceutical affairs representatives from Ministry of Health

In attendance, listening in...:

Representative from the Ministry for Health

Shadow Minister for Health

10:05

Comments from the policy makers

"From listening to action"

Representative from the Ministry of Health

Shadow Minister for Health

10:25

Coffee Break

10:40

Comparing notes

"Case studies, best practices & the industry's perspective"

Marios Kouloumas, Honorary President at CyFPA (Cyprus Federation of Patients' Associations) | A European market access success story

11:10

A conversation between a patient,

a doctor and a pharmacist

Led by Joanna Gatt, Member of the Heka 2026 Organising Committee, committed to innovation and patient centricity

Conversation partners: Dr Noel Buttigieg Scicluna, President of the National Cancer Platform | Dr Kristel Von Brockdorff, Consultant Oncologist at Mater Dei Hospital

11:40

Where do we go from here?

"Summary, and a commitment to action"

Kenneth Briffa, Chair of the Healthcare Executive Committee at the Malta Chamber and Lead of the Market Access Task Force

11:50

Workshops

Social Pillar

Streamlining market access for innovative medicines in Malta

Led by Chiara Scerri Herrera, Market Access & Digital Health Advocate

Rapporteur Julia Aquilina, Senior Policy Executive at the Malta Chamber

Environmental pillar

Waste management in medical and pharmaceutical facilties

Workshop leader, to be announced soon

Rapporteur Alistair Grima, Senior Policy Executive at the Malta Chamber

13:00

Networking Lunch

Chapter 2

Healthcare & the environment:

Waste management in medical and pharmaceutical facilities

14:00

Keynote: The sustainable finance evaluation model

"A new framework for ESG-driven healthcare investments"

Fotios Rizos, PhD(c) in sustainable finance and ESG factors in healthcare at the University of West Attica, Greece | Prof Anastasios Sepetis, Expert on sustainable and environmental management, social investment & social entrepreneurship, and former hospital manager

14:30

Panel: Healing the system

"Navigating new policy mandates in medical and pharmaceutical waste management"

Led by Jesmond Friggieri, Principal & Director at the Malta Leadership Institute

Panelists: Brian Cardona, Founder at ElectroWaste Malta Ltd | Dr Tania Melillo Fenech, Public Health specialist at the Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention | Representative from the Malta Medicines Authority

In attendance, listening in...:

Representative from the Ministry of Environment & Energy

The Hon. Inġ Mark Anthony Sammut, Shadow Minister for Energy & the Environment

15:15

Comments from the Policy makers

Representative from the Ministry for Environment & Energy

The Hon. Inġ Mark Anthony Sammut, Shadow Minister for Energy & the Environment

15:35

Coffee Break

15:55

Panel: Smart scraps

"How technology & artificial intelligence are changing the life cycle of medical products"

Led by Alistair Grima, Senior policy executive at the Malta Chamber

Panelists: Prof Alexei Dingli, Professor of AI at the University of Malta, Entrepreneur & former member of the Malta.AI task force | Gerard Harkin, Head of Social Value at Roche Diagnostics UK & Ireland | Representative from the Environment & Resources Authority