On 29th June, EBC representatives have attended the European Health Parliament’s closing session, held in the European Parliament. The agenda was structured on debates about the reports and recommendations from the different working committees, namely:
- The committe on Antimicrobial Resistance, with the report “Tackling a global public health crisis”
- The Committe on Climate Change and Health, with the report “Tackling meat production and consumption”
- The Committee on Digital Skills for Health Professionals, with the report “Digital skills for health professionals”
- The Committee on Migration and Health Challenges, with the report on “Healthcare access for undocumented migrants”
- The Committee on Prevention and Self-Care, with the report on “Self-care and prevention recommendations”
Hosted and introduced by MEP Giovanni La Via, this fruitful meeting has seen the engaged participation of the EU Commissioner for Health, Vytenis Andriukaitis, and the Director General of DG SANTE, Xavier Prats-Monné, as well as of several MEPs and high-level speakers, like the Belgian Health Minister Maggie De Block and the WHO representative to the EU Roberto Bertollini.
Some common points emerged during the debate, as the centrality of the involvement of young people; the challenges created by eHealth and mHealth and the need to ensure generalized digital health literacy; the importance to improve prevention strategies; the need for increased cooperation and the call for a coherent EU health policy.
Interestingly, MEP Mairead McGuinnes referred to mental health as “the biggest challenge that everyone faces globally”, and one that, if not tackled, would entail a big crisis. Therefore, she continued, “mental health issues need to be brought at the top of our agenda, also given the economic stress that they create in the workplaces”.