The 27th Welconomy Forum in Toruń, one of Poland’s largest economic congresses, took place on 14–15 September 2020. Originally scheduled for March, it was postponed because of the epidemic. Prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński was among the participating experts.
This year’s event used a hybrid format. On the first day, plenary sessions and numerous discussion panels took place at the Jordanki Cultural and Congress Centre. On the second, anyone interested could watch prerecorded panels online through Facebook and YouTube.
For safety reasons, the plenary session was divided into two parts. The first, ‘The pandemic — what next?’, was chaired by Professor Michał Kleiber. The impact of the pandemic on the Polish and global economies was discussed by Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak, Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy; Olga Semeniuk, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Development; Jarosław Pinkas, Chief Sanitary Inspector; Paweł Borys, President of the Polish Development Fund; Dr Marek Cywiński, Managing Director of Kapsch Telematic Services; and Małgorzata Oleszczuk, President of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development.
The second part, ‘Economics through the eyes of Saint John Paul II’, chaired by Professor Henryk Skorowski of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, brought together experts including Prof. Henryk Skarżyński, Director of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing and the World Hearing Center in Kajetany; Krzysztof Pietraszkiewicz, President of the Polish Bank Association; Dr hab. Krzysztof Wielecki, Director of the university’s Institute of Sociology; Dr Marek Waszkowiak, Rector of the Higher School of Management Personnel in Konin; Mikołaj Bogdanowicz, Governor of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region; and Piotr Całbecki, Marshal of that region.
This part of the congress included a panel entitled ‘The need for healthcare system changes in light of new COVID-19 epidemic experience’. It was moderated by Prof. Bolesław Samoliński, an allergologist, otolaryngologist and public health specialist. Prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński joined speakers including Jarosław Pinkas, Chief Sanitary Inspector; Bartłomiej Chmielowiec, Patient Ombudsman; Prof. Ryszard Gellert, Director of the Medical Centre of Postgraduate Education; Anna Gołębicka, an expert at the Adam Smith Centre; and Dr Tomasz Latos, Member of the Polish Parliament and Chairman of its Health Committee.
The experts stressed that the pandemic had rapidly accelerated developments previously discussed for years. This was particularly evident in telemedicine. The pandemic also increased interest in new technologies and the use of artificial intelligence in medicine.
The Economic Forum has a tradition spanning more than twenty years. In 2008, it moved from Ciechocinek to Toruń. It provides a meeting place for Polish and international guests: representatives of the European Union, ambassadors, government and local authorities, parliament, science and culture, media, politics, and local, national and international business. Its programme analyses major challenges facing the Polish, European and global economies in the context of economic crisis, integration and globalisation.
Recordings of sessions and panels are available on YOUTUBE.
Further information about the event is available here.
