Austerity

Health systems in times of global economic crisis: an update of the situation in the WHO European Region

WHO has worked with many Member States on various areas of policy to assist them in navigating through the crisis. This work, as well as an in-depth examination of selected countries and the results of a survey on how countries have responded to the crisis by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and WHO, was presented at a recent conference on health systems and the economic crisis (17–18 April Oslo). During the conference in Oslo, the negative impact that the (...)

[EPHA Briefing] Access to Medicines in Europe in Times of Austerity

When discussing the topic of access to medicines in the context of the economic crisis we have to consider three determinants: affordability and availability, in terms of access to medicines, and innovation in terms of developing new methods of assuring best possible health outcomes. AFFORDABILILTY Usually, health expenditures are mostly covered by public funding and supplemented by private spending. The economic crisis has forced public expending to be cut making patient co-payment (...)

[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: Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Lithuanian (...)

New evidence on access to healthcare: austerity marginalises Europe’s weakest

On 9 April 2013, EPHA member Medecins du Monde European office (MdM) launched a new report that documents the effects of the economic crisis and rising xenophobia on undocumented migrants and other vulnerable groups at risk of exclusion from healthcare systems. Results show that the consequences of austerity measures are particularly strong in Southern Europe where many undocumented migrants are living in an administrative limbo. They are being joined by increasing numbers of European (...)

Health improves unequally within and among European countries

Every three years the World Health Organisation (WHO) publishes its report on European Health. This year its report has a special focus on well-being. "The European Health Report 2012: Charting the Way to Well-Being", released by the WHO Regional Office for Europe on March 13, reveals some bitter-sweet data: even if there have been important health improvements in the European Region, the inequities across and within the countries are persistent. According to the WHO Regional Director for (...)

[Report portrait] The Impact of the Crisis on Civil Society Organisations in the EU – Risks & Opportunities

Paper published by The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

[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 (...)

[The Brussels Business] Interactive website and film

Arte TV, a Franco-German TV network, has just launched an online interactive app to foster dialogue between Brussels-based representatives in the EU Parliament and citizens, so both get to debate EU related issues online. The Brussels Business Online - Have your say The concept is simple: For eight weeks, the Arte TV team will be based inside the EU Parliament in Brussels in order to offer a “window of dialogue and action” on issues debated among EU lawmakers. This (...)

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 (...)

European Health Forum Gastein - 2012 Edition Highlights Austerity Impacts on Health

The 15th European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) took place between 3-6 October 2012 in Austria. This year’s conference theme was “Crisis and Opportunity – Health in an Age of Austerity’’, and the various plenary sessions, parallel forums and workshops covered topics ranging from health system sustainability to disease prevention, global health governance and the future of public health, research and innovation. In a sense, this year’s EHFG felt like a (...)