EPF welcomes election of Hans Kluge as new Director of the WHO European region!

The European Patients’ Forum is delighted to welcome the election of Hans Kluge as the new Director of the WHO.

We truly believe his medical background in Belgium and his international experience across several WHO regions with numerous health policy stakeholders allows him to truly understand the needs of patients as well as healthcare professionals. We do not doubt that he will ensure that healthcare needs are adequately met across Europe.

EPF firmly believes addressing health inequalities across Europe are a key priority. Access to healthcare is a fundamental citizen’s right. However health disparities still exist and are even more put at risk with the economic crisis and austerity measures. The conference will raise this issue with a particular emphasis on the new EU Members States. To this end we very much look forward to collaborating with Dr Kluge to address such inequalities.

With the European Elections and our upcoming Congress on patient involvement, this year we have renewed our call for Universal Health Coverage, a key target of the UN SDGs, demanding equitable patient-centred high quality, accessible and timely care, for every patient who needs it regardless of gender, age, disability, or geographical location.

We are equally proud that Dr Kluge is a member of our Board of Advisors for our upcoming EPF Congress on patient involvement. We are sure his expertise will bring an invaluable contribution to the theme of patient involvement. We offer our sincere congratulations to Dr Kluge and look forward to welcoming him as an Ambassador to EPF Congress.