Under the leadership of the Czech Presidency the EPSCO Council adopts important recommendations on public health protection
On Tuesday the meeting of the EPSCO Council, chaired by Health Minister Dana Jurásková, took place in Luxembourg.
The Council discussed proposals for two recommendations on patient safety and rare diseases, which were successfully negotiated by the Czech Presidency. The following issues were also on the agenda of the meeting: development in the field of cross-border health care, organ transplants and a series of other significant legislation proposals in the field of public health and medication. The current situation regarding the transmission of the A/H1N1 virus, European vaccine reserves and development of a new type of vaccine for this virus was another important topic of the discussions held at the meeting.
In the context of the common priority of the Trio Presidency, the Czech Republic concluded and adopted a Council recommendation that relates to patient safety, including prevention and control of health-care related infections. The main objective of the proposal is to support the efforts of Member States to implement prevention strategies and programmes and control of undesirable events and infections related to health-care providers. “Information and comparable data on patient safety should be collected on EU level, in particular in order to create common terminology and indicators, to ensure sharing of effective procedures, experiences and examples of good practice, to enhance development of research in the field of patient safety and inclusion, so that the patients - as well as their relatives – become the centre of interest of all parties,” explained Dana Jurásková, who chaired the Council.
The second proposal adopted is the Council Recommendation on action in the field of rare diseases, submitted for discussion in the Council Working Party on Public Health and successfully finalised by the Czech Presidency. The aim of this initiative is to pave the way for a precise definition of rare diseases and provide efficient and effective support for cooperation and coordination between Member States. “The recommendations proposed include establishing national action plans for tackling rare diseases, introducing a common definition and an inventory of rare diseases, ensuring research into rare diseases and establishing centres of expertise,” said Health Minister Dana Jurásková.
Now the first round of negotiations of the individual sections of the draft Directive on the application of patients' rights in cross-border healthcare is complete. The EPSCO Council received the progress report on the negotiations today. The main provisions of the draft Directive stipulate the patients' right to seek healthcare in another EU Member State and to obtain reimbursement of the costs of this care in an amount equal to the amount provided by the country in which they are insured. Patients may gain certainty that the quality and safety standards of the provided healthcare are regularly monitored and based on proven medical procedures. "The Directive should also simplify European cooperation in healthcare with emphasis on recognition of medical prescriptions, development of European reference networks, eHealth and assessment of healthcare technologies", added Ivo Hartmann, Chief Officer of the Economic and International Affairs Department of the Czech Health Ministry.
During the Presidency, all the goals set for the Working Party on Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices were achieved and, for the very first time, all draft pieces of legislation presented by the European Commission in December 2008 within the "Pharmaceutical Package" were discussed. A progress report on each topic was submitted to the EPSCO Council.
Further points on the agenda included, among others, the draft Directive of the European Parliament and Council on standards of quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation, the Green Paper on healthcare workers in Europe, and the issue of additives in tobacco products. During the working lunch of the Council meeting, the Ministers discussed the current situation regarding the A/H1N1 flu virus, European stocks of vaccines and the development of a new vaccine against this virus. Health Commissioner A. Vassiliou in this context informed the participants of her recent meeting with the pharmaceutical companies.
Contact:
- Andrea Mimrová, Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Health
- Tel.: +420 224 972 424, GSM: +420 737 204 961, E-mail: [email protected]
Last update: 16.8.2011 15:19
