EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou has directed a serious warning to her fellow policymakers at the 12th European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG), “There is now a risk that decision-makers are being tempted to think short term and to make cuts in the health budget. The crisis is causing increased psychosocial stress and in many cases an increase in hazardous behaviour such as alcohol abuse, smoking and unhealthy nutrition.”
EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou has directed a serious warning to her fellow policymakers at the 12th European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG), “There is now a risk that decision-makers are being tempted to think short term and to make cuts in the health budget. The crisis is causing increased psychosocial stress and in many cases an increase in hazardous behaviour such as alcohol abuse, smoking and unhealthy nutrition. For this reason the demand for health services will significantly rise as a result of the crisis.”
The Commissioner’s warning that now is totally the wrong time for governments to cut health spending is against a background where several EU governments are using sleight of hand in their budgets. Even if what they spend is static or increased slightly, the demand for and cost of services is growing faster than even increased budgets can cope with. The UK is one of the first to reluctantly admit that over the next decade, the government will not be able to spend as much on the NHS as is really needed.
On cancer, patient safety and electronic records, the EU is making great strides. The Commission proposal on the issue of patient safety has made quality assurance a highly regarded healthcare issue throughout the EU. The European Partnership against Cancer initiated by the Commission facilitates coordinated cross-border measures
The European Network for Patient Safety (EUNetPaS) was officially launched in Utrecht, Netherlands in 2008. The project aims to establish an umbrella network of all EU member states to encourage and enhance collaboration in the field of patient safety.
Patient safety is a global issue affecting countries at all levels of development. Understanding the magnitude of the problem and the main contributing factors is essential in order to devise appropriate solutions. An international expert working group set up by WHO Patient Safety produced a list of global research priorities that indicate areas with substantial knowledge gaps and where it is expected that further knowledge will significantly contribute to improving patient safety and reducing harm.
The WHO study ranks the priorities for patient safety in developing countries, transitional countries and developed nations and identifies the differences and similarities for each. One of the significant outcomes was that issues of effectiveness and cost effectiveness were most important for developing nations while issues of communication and safety culture were ranked most highly for developed nations. Patient safety is a fundamental principle of health care. Every point in the process of care giving contains a certain degree of inherent unsafety.
Patient safety is a serious global public health issue. Estimates show that in developed countries as many as one in 10 patients is harmed while receiving hospital care. In developing countries, the probability of patients being harmed in hospitals is higher. The risk of health care-associated infection in some developing countries is as much as 20 times higher than in developed countries.
Patient safety is an area that many agencies and hospitals targeting medical tourists have not yet taken seriously enough.
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