Brussels, 04/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - The informal meeting of European health ministers to be held in Sopot, on the shores of the Polish Baltic on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 July will, in large part, be given over to discussion of how to reduce health-related inequality among member states. This meeting takes place only a few days into the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU. In addition to the ministers of the 27 member states or their delegates, representatives of the European Commission (DG Sanco), Director of the World Health Organisation's Regional Office for Europe Zsuzsanna Jakab and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Director Marc Sprenger will take part in the meeting. Representatives of European agencies and other health sector-related organisations will also attend.
The issues for discussion at this informal meeting will focus on the main health priority of the Polish Presidency: reducing health inequality among member states. Debates will be devoted to communication disorders among children, transplantology, the dangers of designer drugs, diet and physical activity and opportunities offered by new technology and e-health in terms of the computerisation of medical systems and patient care. The E.coli epidemic will also be discussed at length and lessons will be drawn from communication blunders of the last few months. “We will discuss how to improve the early warning system, how effectively and efficiently to convey credible and verified information to the public”, Health Ministry spokesman Jakub Golab told EUROPE. Also up for debate will be how to address the health consequences of the epidemic. This is on the initiative of Polish Health Minister Ewa Kopacz, who is looking to set up a European system for exchanging information on blood and medical equipment reserves that would enable EU countries to offer one another assistance in exceptional situations.
The Polish Presidency has set itself the target of adoption of conclusions by health ministers at the EPSCO Council in Brussels on 2 December. In the course of the Polish Council Presidency, around 30 health-related scientific conferences will be held in Poland. (J.I./transl.rt)