Health Policy in the EU

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Health Policy in the EU

• Clare Siddall
• DG SANCO
• European Commission

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Health is a Cross-Border Issue
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What does DG SANCO do?
Safer, Healthier, More Confident Citizens

• In health
• Funding through Public Health Programme
• Facilitator for Member States and other partners
• Data Collection
• Scientific Committees
• Legislation
• Pandemic Coordination
• Key Initiatives

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A small health aquis including tobacco
control measures
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Cross-EU Information for citizens e.g. HELP
Campaign and Health Portal
www.health.europa.eu
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Bringing MS together to cooperate and share best
practice

• E.g
• Pharma Forum
• Pandemic
• Preparedness
• Rare diseases
• Health Impact Assessment

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The Objectives of the Barroso Commission

• Prosperity
• Solidarity
• Security
• Europe in the World

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The Lisbon Agenda and Health

• to make Europe, by 2010, the most competitive
  and the most dynamic knowledge-based economy in
  the world"

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Health Means Wealth
Source M. Suhrcke, M. McKee, R. Sauto Arce, S.
Tsolova, J. Mortensen The contribution of health
to the economy in the EU, Brussels 2005
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Case Study Mental Health

• 18 million work days lost to depression in
  Germany in 2002 -cost for employers
• 1.59 billion
• Mental health is 10 of the disease burden but 2
  of health spending in EU

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Case Study Obesity

• 18 of school children are overweight (EU 25)
• Direct costs for diabetes in the EU varies
  between 2 and 7 of total health expenditure.
• 80 of CVD and type II diabetes and 40 of
  cancer could be prevented if lifestyle factors
  eliminated

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Healthy Life Years A Lisbon Structural Indicator

• A population in good health reduces strain on
  Health Systems and means more people are
  available for the workforce
• Due to ageing, health care spending is expected
  to rise between 1 and 2 GDP in most Member
  States. However, if healthy life years increase
  at the same rate as life expectancy, this cost
  could be halved (ECFIN).

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(No Transcript)
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Health Inequities
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Life Expectancy at Birth in years
Latvia 71
71.1 - 72.8
79.6 - 80.5
Spain 80.5
EU Average 78.3
Source WHO 2007 last year available
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Infant Mortality per 1000 live births
Sweden 2.4
Romania 15
2.4 - 3.8
6.4 - 15.0
Source WHO 2007 last year available
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Geographical Eligibility 2007-13
Convergence objective Regions below 75 of EU25
average)
Convergence objective statistically affected
phasing-out regions
Objective Regional Competitiveness and
Employment Phasing-in regions, "naturally" above
75
Objective Regional Competitiveness and Employment
Index EU 25 100
Quelle Eurostat
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SANCOs Key Initiatives in 2007 - Health
Strategy - Health Services Initiative
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Health Strategy 2008-17

• 1. Core Issues to improve the health of EU
  citizens - promotion and prevention,
  inequalities, ageing, cross-border issues health
  services
• 2. Health in all Policies - Regional development,
  structural funds, environment, economic policy,
  social policy,
• research etc.
• 3. Global Health governance at the global
  level, communicable diseases, pandemics, trade,
  health and development aid

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Overarching Health Strategy objectives,
indicators and implementation mechanisms
Action on health in DG SANCO
Action on Health at Member State level
Action on Health across all EU policies

• Pandemic preparation
• Alcohol Strategy
• Health Services Initiative
• Mental Health Strategy
• Smokefree Environments
• Etc..

Health policy at national, regional and local
level contributes to the overarching aims of the
Strategy
Health-related work in DG REGIO, EMPL, RTD,
ENTR, ENVI, Etc.
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Future Challenges, Current Strategies
Health investments in the Structural Funds
Projects funded Cross-sectoral work
Health information and Health Portal
ECDC Organ Donation
Interactions with WHO
Pharmaceutical Forum
White paper on Nutrition Communication on
Alcohol Tobacco control strategy
Health Services Initiative
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Health Services Initiative

• A new initiative to develop an EU framework for
  safe, high quality and efficient health services
• 2 pillars
• - improving legal certainty about application
  of Community law on health services
• - support for Member States in areas where EU
  action can add value to national action
• Public consultation based on Commission
  Communication (2006)
• On the basis of the consultation, Commission
  proposals during 2007

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• Thank you!