Brussels, 05/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - Modernisation and the durability of healthcare systems were at the centre of European health ministers' discussions on 4-5 April in Gödöllö at the informal meeting chaired by the Hungarian health minister, Miklós Szócska. The areas for European cooperation in the public health care field, defined by the European health strategy adopted in 2007, perfectly reflect the increasing importance of health care and public health. The Hungarian minister underlined that the challenges facing the European Union involve operating more modern, more efficient and affordable medical services that provide an optimum response to patients' needs and which consistently enhance healthcare safety and the promotion of healthier life styles.
The presidency had organised a debate on the future of the health care systems, the way in which these systems are organised and patients' concerns in the context of operating and managing services that have closer proximity to the people and which are more efficient and less expensive. The discussion was very interesting in so far as the experience and good practices in member states in this context are not sufficiently known or exchanged, explained Szócska. In their discussions, ministers appealed for an increase in the healthcare budget and urged their colleagues in the finance departments not to ignore the cost of healthcare systems in the debate on economic governance. Health care is not only a source of spending but also employs many people and constitutes a significant platform for research, experiments and innovation, emphasised the Hungarian presidency. The informal meeting produced a number of conclusions that are expected to be adopted during the formal ministerial meeting on 6 June next.
Questions involving the labour force and professional mobility in the health care arena were also included on the informal meeting agenda. Current and future healthcare systems cannot operate unless these systems employ an appropriate number of healthcare professionals. This is why it is important to encourage specialists by improving their working conditions. Those wishing to work in this sector should also be provided with the relevant training and skills. The ageing population also affects professionals in the sector and many of them are being encouraged to give up working in this sector. (I.L./transl.fl)