Objectives

Many patients in Europe have no or limited access to proper and timely diagnosis and treatment. The MEPs Interest Group on Equitable Access to Healthcare is committed to playing a major role in providing a platform for discussion and concrete action, in cooperation with patients and the healthcare community. It also promotes synergies and knowledge-sharing regarding disease specific initiatives in the EP relating to access, and other thematic interest groups to ensure maximum effectiveness.

The main objectives of the MEP Interest Group on Equitable Access are, but not limited to:

  • To bridge healthcare stakeholders and EU policy-making
  • To actively work with the European Commission and the Council to identify the possible EU policy measures aimed at improving access
  • To work with the Council to make sure that EU policy measures are tailor-made to respect specific national problems and that Member States respond positively to EU-suggested initiatives

The supporting MEPs will promote in their Member States the opportunities created by the EU for healthcare-related projects at Member States′ level.

 

The success of the Interest Group and PACT’s joint work, from 2014 to 2020 can be outlined as:

  • Bringing together for the first time, on an equal footing, public health associations, healthcare professionals associations, industry associations in a patient led and focused partnership for a common goal and establishing PACT as a ‘go to’ organization on equitable access for the EU institutions.
  • It ensured that patient access to equitable and high-quality healthcare is high on the political agenda, by working jointly with the other EU institutions.

A high-level conference took place in July 2019 on the future of Health in the EU, advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which resulted in the Health PACT Consensus Document, the culmination of much collaborative work, shared purpose, and common vision.

The Patient Access Partnership (PACT) provides the Secretariat for the Group.

 

To see a summary of the work of the Interest Group, please click here.