Over the past few months, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies launched a public debate in agreement with the European Commission (DG SANTE), engaging with diverse stakeholders to brainstorm ideas, perspectives, and inputs to help define key priority areas for EU action in health moving forward. During conference events and a series of thematic webinars, the Observatory have been diving into the nine priority topics identified in close cooperation with the European Commission:
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- enhancing health security
- addressing the determinants of health through Health in All Policies and Health for All Policies
- supporting health system transformation
- enhancing the labour market for health and care workers
- achieving universal health coverage
- implementing digital solutions and AI
- improving the performance and resilience of health systems
- addressing long-term challenges, such as population ageing or climate change
- strengthening the EU’s global voice and leadership.
To further gather stakeholders’ inputs, the Observatory recently launched a dedicated survey, to which EUREGHA responded building on the key elements of the recent ‘EUREGHA Manifesto for 2024 and Beyond‘.
In a nutshell, EUREGHA’s response focused on highlighting:
- the role of regional and local health authorities in delivering healthcare services, and their unique and fundamental position to detect populations’ health needs and local challenges while, at the same time, supporting research and innovation and implementing actions that can positively address other determinants of health, such as social, economic, and environmental factors;
- the role of regional and local ecosystems as living laboratories in which to put into practice innovative approaches and interventions in healthcare, proving to be fertile ground for European cooperation and integration. This makes it necessary to enhance the recognition of regional and local health authorities as key actors in shaping and implementing current and future initiatives;
- the continuous need for a true vision and long-term ambition for health at the European level, possible only through stronger health governance at the European level throughout all EU institutions and bodies;
- the urgency for a new deal for the European health and care workforce, addressing skills and shortages by going beyond ‘one-off’ initiatives and by including the workforce as a true pillar of the European Health Union;
- the importance of digital, green and organisational transformation in healthcare towards more accessible, resilient and performing health systems, and how such transformation should be built and take into account existing practices at the regional level;
- the need for stronger action on prevention, promotion and public health, taking into consideration the crucial role that regional and local health authorities can play in engaging with their citizens and their whole health ecosystems to identify challenges and deliver tangible improvements;
- the key relevance of cross-border healthcare, a crucial topic to be put back at the centre of the European agenda between existing challenges yet to be solved and new perspectives.
Find out more about our views on these topics (and more!) in our Manifesto below:
