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Commissioner Byrne’s reflection process on EU health policy, a starting point for future Commissioner Markos Kyprianou - Health First Europe urges the Commission to take strong lead

19 October 2004

Commissioner Byrne’s reflection process on EU health policy, a starting point for future Commissioner Markos Kyprianou - Health First Europe urges the Commission to take strong lead

Responding to Commissioner Byrne’s call for contributions to the reflection process on the future of EU health policy, Health First Europe, an alliance of patient groups, healthcare workers, academics, experts and the medical technology industry, today submitted its position paper to the European Commission. The paper highlights priority areas for health policy reform as well as the importance of the European Commission in the co-ordination of this process. Health First Europe furthermore welcomes the recent commitment of Markos Kyprianou, Commissioner-Designate for Health and Consumer Protection, to place further emphasis on the prevention of illness and disease. Health First Europe does however urge Mr Kyprianou to also make it a priority to provide equitable access to existing medical treatments for thosealready affected by illness or disease.

Health First Europe calls on the European Commission to fully exploit its mandate and take a lead in the coordination of health policies in Europe, the provision of health-related background research and in the debate on health policy reform. Public health concerns know no borders. Adequate health policy reformsneed to be co-ordinated at European level, by the European Commission, and we urgently need reliable Europe-wide research data. Where competence for health still largely lies with the member states, the European Commission has to ensure that public health objectives are fully integrated into the work of all its Directorate-Generals and that all draft legislation is consistent with the aim of enabling good health for all.

Health is clearly a factor for productive economic growth and competitiveness. Investing more of the EU’s budget in health is an investment in the future of Europe. Health First Europe strongly supports Commissioner Byrne’s position when launching the reflection process: “Health generates wealth. Each health euro better spent could make a net saving both for individual well-being and for EU competitiveness.” Health First Europe believes that it is the responsibility of the Commission to ensure an innovation-friendly environment in the European Union and to improve the working conditions in the healthcare sector, such as by tackling avoidable occupational safety risks, to stop the “brain drain” of healthcare professionals in Europe.

Finally, Health First Europe welcomes the participatory approach of the European Commission shown by this consultation process and calls on Commissioner-Designate Markos Kyprianou to also make stakeholder dialogue a permanent mark of his tenure. Meaningful health policy reform is only possible as part of a wider and inclusive effort that places the concerns of citizens and patients at the heart of the debate.

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 meetcurrent 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, innovationand economic growth.

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