economic policies

[Save the date] EPHA 4th Annual Conference 4-5 September 2013, Brussels

On 4 and 5 September 2013 the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) will celebrate 20 years of helping shape Europe’s public health. EPHA is using this milestone as an opportunity to look at how we can foster an EU that is coherent in its decisions, in terms of fostering the health and well-being of people living in Europe. Brave New World: Inclusive Growth and Well-Being or Vested Interests and Lost Generations? SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Tonio Borg (TBC), European Commissioner for (...)

[EPHA Call to Action] Health in the reform of economic governance

EPHA has launched a call for action for health, civil society and the reform of EU economic governance. Since the financial crisis began in 2007, the EU has introduced numerous new mechanisms, such as tighter coordination of economic and fiscal policies, to alleviate the current symptoms and prevent their recurrence. Several of those measures have impacts on health systems and consequently on health. The EU nowadays has stronger influence and control over national health systems than it (...)

[Médecins du monde] Access to healthcare in Europe in times of crisis and rising xenophobia

On the 9th of April 2013, Doctors of the World International Network (Médecins du monde) presented its latest report, with some of the results of comparative data collected in 2012 in 14 cities across seven European countries. This report covers a sample of 8,412 patients, 19,302 consultations (including 10,968 medical consultations) and 11,921 diagnoses reported by their volunteer health professionals. In order to capture the context in which this data collection took place, a concise (...)

Policy responses to the economic crisis – a shift towards investing in health?

EPHA Working Group on Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM)

Please find below information on the EPHA Working Group on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), which met for the first time in January 2013. All interested EPHA members are welcome to join the group regardless of whether or not they are actively working on CAM issues. The Working Group on CAM falls under EPHA’s Strategic Aim 2 on Health Systems, which covers issues related to health professionals, health threats and communicable diseases, healthcare services / health (...)

Can Health Impact Assessment methods be used to tackle global health equity?

A recent survey has examined if current health impact assessment (HIA) methods could be used to tackle global health equity. The poll shows that HIA do not address the issue of equity adequately. Existing HIAs will therefore require new, more sensitive tools measurements. The study looks at whether health equity impact assessments can be used to measure economic agreements, market regulation, and public policies. The results has proven that in current HIAs, equity is not addressed (...)

[Seminar invitation] Health in times of transition in nine former Soviet countries (12 March, Brussels)

The collapse of the USSR has had profound consequences for the lives of those living in the newly independent countries that emerged in 1991. These consequences are still being felt, over two decades later. In 2011 a European Union funded project, Health in Times of Transition (HITT-CIS),** looked in detail at the health and living conditions of people living in nine former Soviet countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine. The (...)

[Event] Child Health Research - the Key to a Healthier European Society Date

The RICHE and CHICOS projects, together with TACTICS and EURO-PERISTAT are hosting a joint meeting to celebrate European child health research, and launch their reports in Dublin this May. Needless to say, you all are invited! Join leading researchers and practitioners in child health, policy makers, advocates, and children, to help shape the future of child health research in Europe. Event’s flyer - pass it on to your colleagues! The Meeeting This international conference is (...)

[EPHA Press Release] Getting it right – a sustainable road to recovery

Brussels, 20 February – The package provides policy guidance to EU Member States on better invest in human capital, people’s future and social infrastructure. The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) (2) applauds this initiative as it aims to equip people living in Europe with the right tools and skills to face today’s challenges whilst addressing the social impact of the crisis. This is a breakthrough in tackling the current waste of human potential, as it dispels the (...)

European doctors send open letter on the effects of austerity on the health of people

On January 31, doctors from Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Greece sent an open letter to European political leaders and health authorities in which they deplore the effects that financial and economic decisions adopted as a response to the economic crisis are having on the health of the populations of their countries. They call on immediate action to reverse this situation. In each of the countries the letter has been signed by doctors in leading positions including the presidents of (...)