Brussels, 08/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - In Luxembourg on Tuesday 8 June, the European Union's member states' health ministers agreed in principle on an EU directive on patient rights to healthcare in other countries. The agreement applies to all Europeans and reinforces the European healthcare area. Submitted by the Spanish Presidency of the EU, the new directive regulates patient mobility and should not cost national healthcare systems too much. The Spanish Presidency's proposals were backed by the vast majority of member states and the European Commission in the person of Healthcare and Consumer Protection Commissioner John Dalli.
Speaking after the meeting, the Spanish healthcare and social policy minister, Trinidad Jimenez, said that Spain had always called for the directive to allow member states to organise their healthcare systems themselves but allow patient mobility, a right that has to be exercised with safety guarantees for European citizens and sustainability guarantees for national healthcare systems across the EU. The new legislation introduces four new advances on the previous EU presidency compromise deals: (1) There is a “double legal basis” to provide greater safety and greater guarantees in order to be able to provide patients with greater safety and guarantees; (2) There is a better, more balanced definition of member states' responsibilities to refund healthcare costs with a proposal that is mid-way between the views expressed at the December 2009 Health Council, meaning that when a resident living in another member state decides to get treated in their country of nationality, then it will be their country of nationality that has to bear the healthcare costs involved, but if the resident decides to get treated in the country they are living in, it will be the country they are living in that will pay the healthcare costs, explained Jimenez, pointing out that this had been settled by the changes to EU Regulation 883/2004 that came into force last month; (3) Conditions have been introduced adjusting the general healthcare costs refund rules and the requirement to receive authorisation in advance of treatment. There are also quality rules and greater patient guarantees. Jimenez said that state and private healthcare providers will have to respect quality standards set by each member state and this will provide patients with greater safety; and (4) New eHealth measures have been introduced. The ministers agreed to work closely with the member states and the European Commission in this connection.
In conclusion, Trinidad Jimenez said: “We are following a pattern similar to the one adopted in Spain at the level of the autonomous Communities, with a balance between member states' full responsibilities and the need to give greater attention and higher quality healthcare to patients”. (G.B./transl.fl/rt)