Charities Join Forces To Fight Inequalities Faced By People With MS Across EU

Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis
Article Date: 01 Jun 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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The UK's MS Society today joined forces with counterparts in Germany, Spain, Iceland, Poland and Romania to launch a pioneering project to map the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) across Europe, and to fight inequalities across member states.

Today's launch in Brussels marks a major step forward in a process that began in 2003 when Nottingham woman Louise McVay presented a petition to the European Parliament after being denied access to key MS drugs that were available elsewhere in the EU.

Her plea for fair treatment led to the set up of the European Code of Good Practice in MS, which calls for better access to treatments, access to good quality information, and for governments to work together to monitor health inequalities for people with MS. Half a million people are estimated to have MS across the EU, almost one-fifth (85,000) in the UK alone.

MS Society chief executive Simon Gillespie said: "We know there are stark inequalities in levels of MS treatment across the EU. The UK itself looks set to reject the most effective MS drug treatment developed so far, despite it being widely available elsewhere in the EU, so the problems Louise brought to international attention are still very pressing.

"No-one with MS should suffer because their government decides to deny them basic treatments that could help make life with this devastating condition more bearable."

The six charities taking part in the 'MS Information Dividend' (MSID) will gather data about rates of MS across Europe, who it affects, what drugs are used in its treatment, how it impacts on the lives of those affected, including impact on the labour market, and what support the government provides to those affected.

Information from the MSID will be used to challenge EU governments to live up to the standards in the European Code of Good Practice on MS. The aim is for all EU countries to endorse and implement the Code of Good Practice as soon as possible.

http://www.ms-in-europe.org

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