Stakeholders want more money for future EU health policy

Health industry stakeholders denounce member states for viewing spending on health as costs to be contained and say that healthcare systems across Europe are reluctant to pay for health, including innovative medicines. They also highlight the need to invest in health of the ageing population in order to allow the elderly to remain healthy and productive.

"For more than a decade, political debate has framed healthcare as an expense. A more far-sighted view would consider health spending as an investment in an economic engine," writes Ian Read, President of Pfizer's European pharmaceutical business in the Financial Times. 

The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), a platform of health NGOs has expressed concerns over the proposed joint programme for health and consumers, as "the interests of individual consumers and the public wellbeing may sometimes conflict". Further, the health NGOs would like to see references to gender and age considerations in the new programme. 

Regarding the budget, Tamasin Rose from EPHA highlights the difference between "the 13 euro cents per person per year of the previous EU health programme with the 800 euro per cow per year of the Common Agricultural Policy".