Today ALDE MEPs Antonyia Parvanova (NMSP, Bulgaria), Norica Nicolai (PNL, Romania) and Cristian Silviu BUŞOI (PNL, Romania) are hosting a conference in the European Parliament on the issue of emergency health services and their contribution to the overall performance of national healthcare systems.

Healthcare in the EU is a fundamental right of all European citizens yet Member States are facing common difficulties in delivering efficient and high quality health services.

Emergency medical services (EMS) are an integral part of any public health care system with a primary function to deliver rapid medical assistance in life-threatening situations. Emergency medicine is based on the knowledge and skills required for the prevention, diagnosis and management of urgent aspects of illness of all age groups.

The principal aim of the seminar is to assess and compare Emergency Medical Systems (EMS)  across the European Union and their links with Member States national crisis management systems (access to EMS systems, map of current EMS preparedness, data collection mechanism and distance to providers, acceptability of services available etc).  

ALDE MEP Norica Nicolai (PNL, Romania) underlines: "Emergency Medical Systems are a vital part of healthcare systems across Europe. While some Members States have developed efficient emergency systems others struggle to make the necessary improvements or even jeopardise existing achievements. Today's debate between policy makers and specialists is therefore both timely and necessary.

Health care is a matter of national competence but we aim today at exchanging best practices and identifying the sustainable tools at EU level for further supporting national emergency systems".

"In my recent meeting with European Commissioner for Public Health, John Dalli, , I highlighted the need for stronger EU intervention for improving health care systems and in particular in those EU countries were budgetary allocation and public health standards are falling dramatically".

ALDE MEP Cristian Silviu BUŞOI (PNL, Romania) said: “Emergency systems in the EU are characterized by the diversity of their organization. Some may be private while others are managed by public authorities and both problems probably have their virtues and shortcomings. It is extremely important to have debates like the one we are having today in order to share our experiences and identify best practices as well as the weaknesses to be avoided or addressed. This will help us design the emergency systems that respond best to our patients' needs.”

ALDE MEP Antonyia Parvanova (NMSP, Bulgaria) concluded: "Emergency medical services are at the forefront of our healthcare systems, and as such, they represent a key component in guaranteeing an equal access to timely health services for all EU citizens. While national healthcare budgets have all been affected by severe cuts following the economic crisis, it is essential that we hold discussions at EU level on upcoming consequences for both patients and public health in Europe. Some Member States might still be misinterpreting the principle of subsidiarity in this policy area, and I believe that it is important to promote closer cooperation if we want to concretely improve the efficiency and sustainability of our health systems throughout the Union."

For more information please visit our website: www.alde.eu/events-seminar