Technology

Two Belgian hospitals live with Sectra’s public cloud service for medical imaging based on Microsoft Azure

Published

2 years ago

July 3, 2024

LINKÖPING, Sweden, July 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Two hospitals in Belgium are successfully live with the public cloud service from international medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra (STOCKHOLM: SECT-B). As the first to use Sectra One Cloud in the Benelux countries, the two hospitals have begun experiencing the benefits of a cloud service such as improved ability to share resources between the sites and more streamlined workflows.

In the city of Bruges in Belgium, the hospitals AZ Sint Lucas and AZ Sint Jan began their journey to the cloud following a contract with Sectra signed in 2023. As the first in the Benelux countries to adopt Sectra’s enterprise imaging as a fully managed service in the public cloud, these hospitals have now gone live with the service.

One of the main reasons for this shift was the need to streamline operations and enhance collaboration between the two sites. Since 2021, the 23 radiologists and nine trainees of both hospitals have worked together in one single association. Previously, they were unable to work in one environment as they were using two different PACS providers. This made it much harder to collaborate. This need originates from the challenge many hospitals face today of dealing with heavy workloads.

“With an aging population come increasing needs. We are already experiencing a lack of resources and heavier workload. With more and more exams to report on and a shortage of staff, our radiologists are having a hard time coping with the everyday workload. A state-of-the art communal PACS system could help streamline workflow and improve efficiency,” says Dr. Jesse Marrannes, radiologist at AZ Sint-Jan and main medical responsible for this PACS project.

Bart Thielen, Managing Director, Sectra Benelux, adds: “Healthcare today needs to be able to cope with the increasing need for diagnostics and specialized care. Transitioning to the cloud is the first step for hospitals wanting to use new technology to cope with these challenges, as the service offers the needed scalability and security. Many hospitals also deal with staff shortages when it comes to qualified IT staff. I am very happy to offer a solution that will take away some of the stress and resources usually needed to manage the system.”

He continues: “AZ Sint Jan and AZ Sint Lucas pave the way for the transition to public cloud for medical imaging in the Benelux and I’m excited to follow their journey.”

The service is based on Microsoft Azure and fully managed by Sectra. The hospitals saw the potential of the service helping to relieve burden on their IT staff and resources. “The fact that it is a fully managed service and deployed in the cloud gives us more time to focus on the care of our patients rather than on the maintenance of the IT-system and the storage and accessibility of data,” said Annelies Meyns, Head of ICT Applications at AZ Sint Jan, when the project was initiated.

The implementation process began shortly after the contract was signed, with Sectra closely collaborating with hospital teams to ensure a seamless transition. “Moving everything to the cloud is a monumental task, but Sectra’s commitment made it manageable and efficient,” says Jurryt Laleeuwe, Head of ICT Applications at AZ Sint Lucas.

The cloud service is now fully operational, bringing notable enhancements. “The new system has already enhanced our ability to share resources and collaborate on patient cases. The ability to tailor our workflows has also greatly benefited our radiologists, especially for overarching multidisciplinary team meetings” says Dr. Pieter Vandaele, Head of the Department of Radiology at AZ Sint Lucas.

He continues: “The implementation and experience so far have been very positive, and I look forward to seeing the ongoing benefits of this cloud service.”

Sectra’s enterprise imaging solution provides a unified strategy for all imaging needs while lowering operational costs. The scalable and modular solution, with a VNA at its core, allows healthcare providers to grow from ology to ology and from enterprise to enterprise. Visit Sectra’s website to read more about Sectra and why it’s top-ranked in “Best in KLAS.”

About Sectra
Sectra contributes to a healthier and safer society by assisting health systems throughout the world to enhance the efficiency of care, and authorities and defense forces in Europe to protect society’s most sensitive information. The company, founded in 1978, is headquartered in Linköping, Sweden, with direct sales in 19 countries, and distribution partners worldwide. Sales in the 2023/2024 fiscal year totaled SEK 2,964 million. The Sectra share is quoted on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange. For more information, visit Sectra’s website.

For further information, please contact:
Dr. Torbjörn Kronander, CEO and President Sectra AB, 46 (0) 705 23 52 27
Marie Ekström Trägårdh, Executive Vice President Sectra AB and President Sectra Imaging IT Solutions, 46 (0)708 23 56 10

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Sectra’s module for breast imaging

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Technology

VIVATECH 2026 CELEBRATES ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A RECORD EDITION SURPASSING 200,000 VISITORS

Published

18 minutes ago

June 20, 2026

With the presence of Emmanuel Macron and Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

PARIS, June 20, 2026 /CNW/ — From June 17 to 20, 2026 at Paris Porte de Versailles, VivaTech celebrated its 10th edition, surpassing the exceptional milestone of 200,000 visitors from 165 nationalities, with more than 15,000 startups present, 1,155 speakers and over 5 billion cumulative impressions on social media. Europe’s largest tech and innovation event has reached a new dimension, consolidating its status as an unmissable global gathering.

Exceptional speakers

VivaTech welcomed the greatest figures in global tech: Jeff Bezos (Amazon & Blue Origin), Dave Limp (Blue Origin), Bernard Arnault (LVMH), Henna Virkkunen (European Commission), Ekaterina Zaharieva (European Commission). Germany, Country of the Year 2026, was represented by a ministerial delegation, while India, AI Country Partner 2026, was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as a continuation of the AI Summit in New Delhi.

Innovation and business at the heart of the event

More than 4,500 exhibitors, 61% of whom were international, showcased their latest innovations. Among the standout innovations: the smart contact lens by XPANCEO, the thought-controlled humanoid robot by Unitree x HABS, and the 3D-printed resorbable implants by Lattice Medical. New formats such as the Business Plaza and Investors Office Hours further accelerated business connections.

The VivaTech x Bloomberg Awards

For the first time, VivaTech presented the VivaTech x Bloomberg Awards, recognising the most influential figures in global tech, including Sir Tim Berners-Lee (Visionary Award), Joe Tsai (Leadership Award) and Yann LeCun (Momentum Award).

Innovation open to all

VivaTech also took over the Champs-Élysées on June 14th for an open-air technology showcase, before opening its doors to the general public on June 20th with astronaut Thomas Pesquet as guest star.

“This 10th edition was not a celebration of the 9 previous years, but the opening of a new decade full of promise.” — Maurice Lévy, Michèle Benbunan & François Bitouzet, VivaTech

See you from June 16 to 19, 2027 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles for VivaTech 2027!

About VivaTech

VivaTech accelerates innovation by connecting startups, tech leaders, major companies, and investors responding to our world’s biggest challenges.

Each year, over four exciting days in Paris, VivaTech creates Europe’s biggest startup and tech event, exploring the most disruptive topics in tech with world-premiere demos, launches, and conferences in a collaborative ecosystem. This is where business meets innovation. Join us for the eleventh edition of VivaTech 16-19 June 2027.

For more information go to our website at https://vivatech.com/media or follow us on social media @VivaTech.

Contact
press@vivatechnology.com

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Technology

Pope Leo XIV embraces paediatric patients at CNAO in Pavia

Published

3 hours ago

June 20, 2026

PAVIA, Italy, June 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO) served as the first stop today during Pope Leo XIV’s pastoral visit to the city of Pavia. His choice to begin his journey at this center reflects a profound commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue between advanced scientific progress and the alleviation of human suffering.

CNAO President Gianluca Vago and General Manager Sandro Rossi received His Holiness, illustrating the center’s distinctive capabilities. CNAO stands out as a unique reality in Italy, remaining one of the very few facilities worldwide capable of delivering hadrontherapy using both protons and carbon ions. The technological core of the facility is its synchrotron, a subatomic particle accelerator that generates ultra-high-precision beams to treat complex, inoperable and radioresistant tumours. This cutting-edge technology allows for the targeted eradication of diseased cells while meticulously preserving surrounding healthy tissues, drastically improving patients’ survival and quality of life.

Furthermore, CNAO is expanding its capabilities as a premier multi-center utilizing new ion species, like Helium, later Oxygen and Neon. Soon, treatments will incorporate the Leo Cancer Care upright positioning and imaging system. The immediate future also includes beginning therapies with a Hitachi dedicated proton accelerator and gantry and a BNCT system for metastatic diseases, equipped with an electrostatic accelerator produced by TAE Life Science. With these new technologies, CNAO will become one of the most technologically advanced center in the world.

To date, over six thousand individuals, including approximately three hundred children and adolescents, have benefited from these life-saving treatments.

During his visit, the Pope engaged with CNAO’s Board of Directors, a collaborative body uniting national universities, clinical institutions, and research centers. He also extended his heartfelt greetings to the two hundred employees of the center. These doctors, physicists, engineers, and researchers tirelessly operate the advanced technologies in the service of oncology patients.

The emotional pinnacle of the day was the Holy Father’s private gathering with a delegation of young children who underwent treatment. The paediatric patients and their families shared a deeply touching moment of closeness, receiving the Pope’s comforting embrace.

“The visit of Pope Leo XIV honours us and represents a moment of extraordinary human value”, stated CNAO President Gianluca Vago. “In his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, the Holy Father emphasizes the necessity of a science that constantly safeguards the centrality of the person and directs technology toward the common good. In a time marked by global tensions, CNAO testifies daily how the incredible power of the atom can be used not to destroy, but to heal. The particle beams we utilize against disease are, symbolically, Rays of Hope, sharing and supporting the IAEA project bearing this name. The embrace the Holy Father reserved for our children reminds us that scientific research finds its most authentic purpose when it encounters listening, compassion, and hope”.

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Technology

HelloNation Article Examines Full Coverage Auto Insurance With Insurance Expert Ben Buenzow

Published

5 hours ago

June 20, 2026

The article explains what full coverage auto insurance typically includes, what it excludes, and how coverage limits affect Iowa drivers.

URBANDALE, Iowa, June 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — What does full coverage auto insurance actually include for drivers in Iowa? That question is answered in a HelloNation article featuring insights from Insurance Expert Ben Buenzow of Buenzow Insurance Group in Urbandale, Iowa.

The HelloNation article explains that full coverage auto insurance is a commonly used phrase that many drivers misunderstand. While the term suggests broad protection, it usually refers to a combination of liability coverage, collision coverage, and comprehensive coverage within an insurance policy. Understanding what these components cover helps drivers avoid gaps in protection and unexpected costs after an accident.

Liability coverage forms the legal foundation of auto insurance in Iowa. The article explains that liability coverage pays for injuries or property damage that a driver causes to others in an accident. State law requires Iowa drivers to carry minimum liability limits, and full coverage auto insurance policies include at least those required limits. However, liability coverage does not pay for damage to the driver’s own vehicle, which is why additional protection is often necessary.

Collision coverage is the part of a policy that helps pay for damage to the driver’s own vehicle after an accident. The HelloNation article notes that collision coverage applies when a vehicle hits another car, a guardrail, or a stationary object. In most cases, the insurer pays the actual cash value of the vehicle or the repair cost minus the policy’s deductible. Insurance Expert Ben Buenzow is featured in the article as a source of insights on how deductibles influence both insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs during a claim.

Comprehensive coverage addresses a different type of risk. According to the article, comprehensive coverage protects against damage caused by events other than collisions. This includes hail, theft, vandalism, fire, falling objects, or animal-related incidents. For Iowa drivers, weather-related risks such as hailstorms can make comprehensive coverage an important part of a full coverage auto insurance policy.

The HelloNation article also explains that deductibles apply to both collision coverage and comprehensive coverage. The deductible is the amount the policyholder must pay before insurance coverage begins. Drivers can often choose higher or lower deductibles depending on their financial preferences. Higher deductibles typically reduce premium costs but increase the amount paid out of pocket if damage occurs.

Another important takeaway from the article is what full coverage auto insurance does not automatically include. Standard policies usually do not provide roadside assistance, rental reimbursement, or gap coverage unless these features are added separately. The article explains that roadside assistance covers towing or emergency services, while rental reimbursement helps cover the cost of a temporary vehicle during repairs.

Gap coverage is another optional feature highlighted in the article. It is often recommended for drivers who finance or lease newer vehicles. Gap coverage pays the difference between the remaining loan balance and the vehicle’s actual cash value if it is declared a total loss after an accident.

The article also discusses the importance of understanding coverage limits within an insurance policy. Coverage limits determine the maximum amount an insurer will pay for a covered loss. If damage or liability exceeds those limits, the driver may be responsible for the remaining costs. Reviewing coverage limits carefully helps drivers ensure their policy reflects both the value of their vehicle and their financial risk.

Insurance Expert Ben Buenzow is again referenced in the article as part of a broader discussion about how drivers can make informed decisions about Iowa car insurance. The article encourages drivers to evaluate deductibles, coverage limits, and optional protections based on their individual needs.

The HelloNation article concludes by emphasizing that drivers should periodically review their insurance policy. Changes in vehicle value, financial circumstances, and driving habits can all affect the appropriate level of coverage. Understanding the components of full coverage auto insurance helps drivers maintain adequate protection and prepare for unexpected events on the road.

Iowa Auto Insurance: What Full Coverage Includes and Excludes features insights from Ben Buenzow, Insurance Expert of Urbandale, Iowa, in HelloNation.

About HelloNation
HelloNation is America’s Good News Network, a premier media platform built on the idea that good news travels faster when real people tell real stories. Through its community-focused publications and innovative “edvertising” approach, HelloNation delivers content that informs, inspires, and spotlights the leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities.

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