Press Releases

HFE Press release on EU's healthcare

8 November 2005

'Patient-centric strategy a crucial basis for EU Healthcare' advocates Health First Europe policy Statement

At the annual Open Health Forum held by the European Commission’s DG Health and Consumer Protection, Health First Europe (HFE) launched its policy statement outlining a series of recommendations to contribute to the debate on the challenges and the future of healthcare in the EU. Speaking at the Forum, Annette Kennedy, President of the European Federation of Nurses Association (EFN), emphasised that:

“There is an urgent need to explore the current context of professional preparedness in Europe to deliver a consistent standard of healthcare to individuals in all countries within the EU in terms of education, competence, codes of practice and clinical outcomes. There is also a real need to develop European accreditation mechanisms, based on national developments and which comply with well-established global frameworks. And there needs to be evidence of validation of standards and transparency of the process used, which is easily recognised across borders”.

The EFN, an associate member of HFE, is co-organising a workshop focusing on Health Services. Mel Read, Honorary Chair of HFE welcomed the Forum’s programme and explained: “A patient-centric strategy is the necessary basis for making healthcare decisions. To this end, and through the launch of our policy statement, we would advocate improved access to healthcare as an important EU investment through appropriate budget allocation, equitable and crossborder access for patients in the EU, and better utilisation of collective EU expertise and resources”. HFE’s policy statement is the result of a stock-taking of the various initiatives and strategies put forward by European policy makers of late as a means of improving healthcare for EU citizens. It identifies and elaborates on common themes within the critical action areas such as the future of EU Health Strategy;improving access to services in the EU; patient mobility and related topics (e-health, patient information and safety, etc.), and better regulation linked to the Lisbon Agenda.

These themes are namely:

• Access to better healthcare in the EU
• Innovation of healthcare therapies and access processes
• Continual quality imptovement of EU healthcare
• Investment in healthcare's human ressources

Under the patronage of David Byrne, former European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, Health First Europe is a voluntary platform of diverse healthcare stakeholders including patients, healthcare workers, academics, experts and industry. HFE aims to ensure that equitable access to modern, innovative and reliable medical technology and healthcare is regarded as a vital investment in the future of Europe.

Established in 2004, Health First Europe is a not-for-profit, non-commercial alliance of patients, healthcare workers, academics, healthcare experts and the medical technology industry. Its primary aim is to ensure that healthcare is regarded as a vital investment in the future of Europe and that every European citizen should benefit from the best medical treatments available. As part of a series of awareness-raising activities, Health First Europe organises events and issues publications with the aim of communicating the following core messages to EU decision-makers and opinion leaders:

• There are weaknesses in European healthcare systems; a re-think is required in order to meet current and future health challenges
• Patients and clinicians should have equitable access to modern, innovative and reliable medical technology
• The development of new and flexible modes of healthcare delivery will benefit both patients and healthcare providers.
• “Health equals wealth”. Health is a productive economic factor in terms of employment, innovation and economic growth

For more information, please visit: www.healthfirsteurope.org