Health Services: Patients And Medical Doctors Call For EU Action

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 11 Feb 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Patients and medical doctors decided to unite their voices and are calling for an EU directive on health services. Therefore they have sent the following letter to all parties involved:

EPF and CPME: a Health services Directive is needed

The European Patients' Forum (EPF) [1] and the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) [2] would like to reiterate their position to the still awaited health services directive.

We support the free movement of patients and health professionals within the EU.

High quality of care and free movement of patients and professionals are intertwined topics that should all be addressed within a Community framework.

Patients should have the right to receive safe and high-quality care all over the Union, and to have the fullest information in order to make informed choices.

We know that patients prefer to be treated as close as possible to their home and family, where they can easily communicate without language problems. However, when necessary or by choice, they must be able to receive care abroad and their rights and the quality of their treatment must not be compromised.

Health services have specific characteristics that should be recognised and protected. As they deal with citizens' lives and well-being, health services need stricter controls and regulation than most other services. It is essential that Member States take responsibility for guaranteeing the quality and equal availability of healthcare for their citizens in all circumstances.

Patients' rights should be enshrined in a legal text in order to ensure legal certainty based on existing European Court of Justice rulings.

We will continue to cooperate actively to the next steps of this Community action which is urgently needed in the interest of the patients. Therefore, EPF and CPME call the European Commission to publish a draft proposal for a Directive on health services.

Notes

[1] The European Patients' Forum (EPF) was founded in 2003 to become the collective patients' voice at EU level, manifesting the solidarity, power and unity of EU patients' movement. EPF currently represents 27 member organizations - which are chronic disease specific patient organizations operating at European level, and national coalitions of patients organizations. EPF's vision for the future is patient-centred, equitable healthcare throughout the European Union.

[2] The Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) is the representative body of about 2 million physicians in Europe.

Its aims are:

-- to promote the highest standards of medical training and medical practice, through advocating:
- public health,
- the relationship between patients and doctors
- the free movement of doctors and patients within the European Union

-- to achieve the highest quality of health care in Europe.

It is composed of the most representative non-governmental national medical organisations in EU/EEA countries, that is to say 30 National Medical Associations. It also unites associated members, observers and associated organisations (specialised European medical organisations).

http://www.cpme.eu