Manifesto “150 Million Reasons to Act”

Our current health systems can be unfair, divisive and fail to put the patients’ perspective first. We believe all patients within the EU have a basic right to equal access to quality medical treatment, regardless of where they live, their status or their income.

In 2008 we successfully launched our EPF Patients’ Manifesto, “150 Million Reasons to Act” campaign within the European Parliament with the support of a number of MEPs. This one year campaign represented the voice of patients all around Europe to promote equal and timely access to safe treatment and diagnosis, and to provide quality information to patients to better allow them to make sound decisions on their own care and treatment.

The Manifesto, developed with our members, calls for vital new measures in three fundamental areas to improve the quality of health care delivered across the EU:

• Equal and timely access to safe, effective diagnosis, treatments and support
• Better information and resources for patients to be partners in determining their care
• A patients’ voice to be heard in Brussels and throughout the European Union

In the Manifesto we called upon the political groups within the European Parliament, MEPs, prospective MEPs, national representatives in EU Member States, and the European Commission, to commit to the legitimate rights and needs of patients and to make our proposals their priority.