Launched in November 2014, the European Health Parliament is a platform for 80 young Europeans to brainstorm ways in which to make Europe a healthier place and to rethink the European healthcare system. It includes 16 College of Europe students of the current promotion from the Departments of European Political and Administrative Studies, European Legal Studies and European Economic Studies, as well as a rich mix of young experts working in pharmaceuticals, government and foreign embassies, banking and insurance institutions, NGOs, think tanks, academia, and industry associations, as well as on-the-ground medical practitioners, including flying nurses and doctors, among many others.
The Closing Session of the European Health Parliament (EHP) will be held with MEPs at the European Parliament. At this event, the EHP members will present their proposals together with evidence-based research as well as step-by-step solutions for providing better European healthcare that rightly meets the needs of patients. The young experts have proposed a series of political and practical actions in seven critical areas. Among their recommendations are included:
- Cross-border health threats: as shown by the Ebola epidemic, diseases do not stop at national borders. Therefore healthcare systems should be equally cross-national and strengthened through EU institutional support to prevent disease and protect European citizens. The EU and Member States must develop a public framework for disease intervention and a proactive vaccination plan.
- Big data in healthcare: the EHP proposes the creation of a new Europe-wide connected Electronic Health Records Organisation (EHRO) that empowers patients through the collection and use of patients’ data across EU Member States, which will lead to better health outcomes for patients and payers irrespective of national borders.
- Access to new therapies: the EHP has designed a ‘matrix’ aimed at defining the level of EU intervention required to enhance access to innovative therapies. By assessing unmet medical needs and access issues, the matrix identifies where national and EU action on a specific disease area may be most appropriate.
Also covered by the EHP are recommendations related to patient empowerment, the prevention of chronic disease, as well as the economic and technological dimensions of health.
The recommendations will be shared with EU28 policy makers and the healthcare community. This will mark the finale of the European Health Parliament, until next year's edition.