January 2014

In January we unveiled our seven-year strategic plan, defining non-discrimination as one of our main goals. This month also marked the official launch of the new Joint Action on Chronic Diseases.

New Strategic plan, discrimination at the spotlight

In January, we unveiled our seven-year strategic roadmap, designed to work effectively during the 2014-2020 Health Programme period, to drive better health for patients in Europe.  We defined non-discrimination as one of our main goals to raise awareness of stigmas that patients continue to face in the European Union.

This topic was the focus of ‘Health in Europe, making it fairer’, a landmark conference organised in March by the Directorate for Health of the European Commission (DG SANCO). We reiterated on this occasion, in a joint statement with the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), the urgency to adopt the Council Directive on the principle of equal treatment between persons.

We closed the year by preparing a position paper called ‘Healthcare for all’ to be released in early 2015. This document, developed in consultation with our members, will raise awareness about discrimination patients are still facing today and provide recommendations to EU decision-makers on how to tackle this challenge effectively.

New Joint action on Chronic Diseases

January marked the official launch of the new Joint Action on Chronic Diseases, named 'EU Joint Action on Chronic Diseases and promoting healthy ageing across the life-cycle' or CHRODIS-JA.

EPF will provide the patients’ perspective as a partner in this three-year project that aims to confront the challenge caused by chronic disease. This collaboration builds on the policy work we did around the ‘reflection process on chronic diseases’ initiated by the European Commission and member states (see paper, 2012).

EPF participated to the April’s Chronic Disease Summit organised by the European Commission’s DG SANCO. The event aimed at developing a set of policy recommendations for action on how the medical, social and economic burden of chronic diseases should be tackled in the European Union now and in the years to come.

More information about CHRODIS-JA: www.chrodis.eu.