On 22nd of March, the MEP Interest Group on Equitable Access to Healthcare and the Patient Access Partnership hosted a webinar, organised jointly with the European Commission (SANTE); Organisation for Economic Co-operation, and Development (OECD); and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.

It was the first webinar of the series – “The Future of Health: Time to Act”. The initiative is a continuation of The Health PACT (the conclusion document of the Future of Health Conference – 2019) and a large-scale mapping initiative, aiming to investigate and align the common priorities of all PACT partners including the MEP Interest Group on Equitable Access to Healthcare. The webinar series are focused on the topical findings within the State of Health in the EU report and initiatives to define actions, which will foster better collaboration in building the future and advancing the European health agenda and well-being, acknowledging “Health is wealth for All“.

The opening webinar gave a broader overview on the access aspects of the State of Health in the EU and presented the “FutureProofing Healthcare for all European citizens: A vision for building the EU’s role in healthcare”, а vision paper developed by the Expert Panel of the FutureProofing Healthcare Initiative, submitted to the portal of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The debate concluded with a call for the creation of a Memorandum of Understanding. The title is “PACT TO ACT” and aims to involve all stakeholders and engage them in contributing to the European agenda towards a “Health in All Policies” approach to foster health and wellness in Europe, according to the European values.

The event brought together key stakeholders from across the EU, working in the field of healthcare, including Member State representatives, EU institutions, as well as a number of PACT partners (incl. patient organisations, healthcare professionals, public health NGOs, umbrella trade associations, industry
representatives and academia).