EPF Campaign on Universal Access – Kick-off Meeting 27/02
©EPF
The kick-off meeting of the EPF Access Campaign is fast approaching! A few days before the event, it is time to share some details of the agenda with you.
Launched in January on social media and on our website, the EPF campaign on Universal Health Coverage will be officially presented at the European Parliament on the 27th of February. The event will be co-hosted by MEPs Kateřina Konečná (GUE/NGL, Czech Republic) and Andrey Kovatchev (EPP, Bulgaria), two MEPs very much committed to this topic, as their engagement as co-chairs of the Interest Group on Access to Healthcare can testify.
The two-hour meeting will be structured in four different parts:
The welcoming session will help to set the scene and the policy context, with welcoming speeches from MEP Konečná and EPF Secretary General Nicola Bedlington.
Members of the EPF Secretariat will then shortly present the campaign by detailing EPF’s vision on access to healthcare, the objectives of the campaign, and the strategy regarding the policy milestones, including support from our Access Working Group. A short description of the communications and public affairs activities will then follow, with details on metrics and social engagement initiatives.
Guest speakers will then report on the current challenges and barriers in each of the campaign’s five areas of actions. A senior economist from the OECD will demonstrate the importance of sustainable investment in health services and how a holistic approach to quality healthcare supports waste reduction policies.
Drawing on his own experience and expertise, a patient representative and member of the EPF Access Working Group will then focus on affordable and universal health care coverage, making clear that the situation patients and European citizens are currently facing is unacceptable. Finally, a representative of a migrants’ support group will draw on the importance of ending discrimination that vulnerable groups and patients face in healthcare.
Providing an expert view on each of the campaign areas, the speakers will portray a complete picture of the situation, echoing the unique approach of the campaign, with its key link to the UN SDG.
A panel discussion with all speakers involved will close the meeting. An official from DG SANTE will join us to present the initiatives of the European Commission to achieve universal health coverage. From the European Parliament, MEP Andrey Kovatchev will bring his impulse statement, calling for commitment from all policy stakeholders to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal for Health. Participants will have the opportunity to ask their questions and share their views during an interactive Q&A session with the speakers.
The event will give the opportunity to all interested parties to frame their involvement and commitment towards this ambitious UN SDG, and while we know it remains an aspiration in the EU, hopefully the meeting will provide some ideas for rapid progress in this crucial issue for patients in Europe.
Registrations are now closed. We hope you managed to secure a place! For those unable to attend, we encourage you to follow the debates on social media with the hashtag #Access2030; Don’t miss our next newsletter with all the details and conclusions of the meeting!
The final agenda of the kick-off meeting is available here.
#Access2030
Contact persons:
Laurent Louette, Communications Officer, laurent.louette@eu-patient.eu
Sara Gayarre, Communications Assistant, sara.gayarre@eu-patient.eu
Katie Gallagher, Policy Adviser, katie.gallagher@eu-patient.eu