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Sustainability in healthcare is not an abstract concept. It involves specific issues such as how to reduce unnecessary waste, how to retain skilled workers in the profession, how to plan finances more effectively, and how to increase the availability of care in regions, including across borders. These were the topics brought into a discussion in Pilsen at the end of the year by the first student exchange within the CrossHealth project. The meeting connected students and academic staff from the Faculty of Health Care Studies of UWB in Pilsen and its partner university, Deggendorf Institute of Technology (Technische Hochschule Deggendorf).

Students from both institutions first introduced their fields of study in short presentations and discussed differences in education and healthcare in Bavaria and Czechia. They also discussed what could support future professional mobility in the border region and how cross-border cooperation could be used in practice. In this spirit, the participants visited the Emergency Medical Service of the Pilsen Region, which is an associate partner of the educational program for healthcare professionals and contributes to professional excursions and discussions. There, the students were able to experience the pre-hospital emergency care environment firsthand and see what is important in this area in practice for regions on both sides of the border and how crucial their cooperation is.

"Cross-border exchanges provide students with an experience that cannot be replaced in regular teaching. They teach them to look at the sustainability and quality of care in a broader context and prepare them for cooperation in a region where borders often play no role in practice, which is especially true for health care and life-saving," said Robin Šín, a doctor and the main researcher of the project. "Thanks to the cooperation with the Emergency Medical Service of the Pilsen Region, students had the opportunity to see what coordination of care in the field looks like and why shared standards and good communication are key, especially in border areas," Šín  added.

Both The University of West Bohemia in Pilsen and the Deggendorf Institute of Technology plan to organize more joint meetings of this kind. In the spring of 2026, students from partner institutions will attend a joint winter school on the German side of the border. The topics will once again be sustainable healthcare and cooperation between regions.