Brussels, 10/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - EuroHealthNet, a partnership of public health associations, last week presented its recommendations for improving health equity. These recommendations were set out at a conference in the European Parliament, jointly chaired by Julie Ward, (S&D, UK) and Eider Gardiazabal Rubial (S&D, Spain) as part of DRIVERS for Health Equity 2012-2014 European research project. “Concern about global health challenges should not obscure the fact that serious differences in health exist between social groups in Europe”, stated Ward.
DRIVERS project experts identified four principles to guide the development and implementation of policies to improve health and reduce health inequalities: 1) universality of access: for example, provision of affordable, high-quality pre-natal and early years services for all; 2) addressing disadvantage: for example, providing targeted cash transfer programmes, specialist welfare services, and individualised active labour market programme support within a universal social protection system; 3) accounting for context and respecting rights: for example, ensuring that good practices are properly evaluated so they do not lose effectiveness when implemented in new contexts, and respecting the rights of the people concerned; 4) evidence-based policy: for example, making sure that policies are based on established models of good practice and evaluated both in terms of economic and social/health benefits. These recommendations received the support of several decision-makers who pledged to back policies consistent with these principles. (Isabelle Lamberty)