Health conference to look at needs of the individual

A three-day conference on “Balancing
Health, Social Development and Internal Market” will prepare
the Informal Health Council in line with the Dutch
Presidency’s health priorities.

The core aim of a three-day conference, entitled
“Shaping the EU Health Community”, is to arrive at
conclusions on how to balance health and social
development with the objectives of the internal market.
The conference will look into the challenges arising from
health care being subject to the rules of the EU’s
internal market while also being a part of the public
sector in the Member States. 

The discussions will take the position of the European
health care consumer as a starting point and explore how
health care systems could become more responsive to the
expectations of the individual in an ageing society.
Studies have shown that Europeans in different countries
wish for similar changes in their national health care
systems. At the same time, an increasing number of
patients are choosing cross-border care, benefitting from
the EU’s internal market. The conference will examine a
number of aspects in this debate, including financing and
sustainability; product and price; choice, quality and
safety; availability, distribution and equity. 

The conference, hosted by the Dutch EU Presidency,
will arrive at conclusions on eHealth, medical products,
health care at local level, long-term care and
cross-border care. These conclusions will be submitted to
the Informal Council of Health Ministers on 9-10
September. 

Read more with Euractiv

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