Economic crisis and healthcare: European health strategy

 

SUMMARY OF:

Council conclusions on the economic crisis and healthcare

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE CONCLUSIONS?

• They invite European Union (EU) countries and the European Commission, both singly and jointly, to take certain measures to tackle the consequences of the economic crisis on healthcare systems.
• They set out a range of practical, voluntary recommendations.

KEY POINTS

EU countries are invited to:

• improve access to high-quality healthcare, especially for the most vulnerable;
• develop health promotion and disease-prevention policies to reduce the need for medical treatment;
• consider ways to better integrate
  • hospital care with wider health considerations, such as the environment and lifestyle and,
  • health and social care support, such as social work and care home services;
• promote new technological and e-health solutions to improve efficiency and control spending;
• use health system performance assessment to aid policymaking;
• exchange information on healthcare services and strategies, in particular on affordable pricing for medicines and medical devices.

Together, EU countries and the Commission are invited to:

• improve the effective use of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) for health investments in eligible regions of the EU;
• assess the role of healthcare benefits in reducing health inequality and preventing poverty;
• strengthen cooperation on cross-border healthcare, e-health and health technology assessments;
• cooperate on ways to ensure countries have sustainable health workforces with the necessary skills to guarantee that patients have access to care, and the safety and quality of care.

On its own, the Commission is invited to:

• collect and exchange information on equitable access to healthcare;
• encourage cooperation between health services across national borders;
• provide information on the healthcare available under EU countries’ national healthcare systems.

BACKGROUND

Under Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the EU has a duty to ensure that a high level of human health protection is guaranteed when EU policies and activities are drawn up and implemented.

For more information on investing in health:

• ‘Investing in health’, Social Investment Package, European Commission, February 2013
• ‘Policy Guide for health investments under the European Structural and Investment Funds’ (ESIF) 2014-2020, European Commission, March 2014.

MAIN DOCUMENT

Council conclusions on the economic crisis and healthcare (2014/C 217/02) (OJ C 217, 10.7.2014, pp. 2–6)

last update 07.02.2017