Luxembourg, 25/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - The healthcare aspect of the current refugee crisis appeared on the agenda of the meeting of EU health ministers in Luxembourg on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 September.
Luxembourg's health minister, Lydia Mutsch, welcomed the fact that the public health aspect had been mentioned in the conclusions document of the special European Summit on 23 September because the impact of migration flows on national healthcare schemes cannot be denied and the ministers were unanimous about the need to address the public health dimension more satisfactorily in talks about the refugee crisis that is mobilising all of Europe, stated Mutsch, calling for the solidarity of all the member states. Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis pointed out the European Commission's role in supporting the member states in the domain of healthcare, particularly in the event of major crises. The Commissioner said that refugees must be treated humanely with the necessary medical assistance and he'd told ministers that they can call on the European Civil Protection Mechanism to this end.
The member states recognised that coherent, coordinated political action needed to be implemented to deal with refugees' healthcare requirements. They stressed the importance of equal access to healthcare systems for refugees and migrants, but also the enhancing of the capacity of healthcare infrastructure in order to be able to manage the flow of migrants. Mutsch said the opportunity to cooperate to achieve a robust, responsible migration policy must not be missed, a policy addressing all dimensions of the crisis and respecting European common values. Commissioner Andriukaitis said the Commission was investing the equivalent of €73 million to boost the capacity to house migrants (Emergency Fund) and raise member states' awareness of the existing tools and funds they can call on to facilitate refugee access to healthcare systems. He pointed out that three member states have already asked for help from the European Emergency Fund to deal with migrants' healthcare needs. Unsurprisingly, the countries in question are Hungary, Greece and Italy.
The Commissioner announced that the Commission is currently preparing a list of medical tests that should be offered at EU entry points (hotspots) used by migrants. He said special tests would be needed for pregnant women and children to see whether they are affected by an infectious disease and also to assess vaccination needs. He pledged to do all he could and called for coherent, coordinated action because Europe's capacities were being put to the test and solidarity was needed. (Original version in French by Isabelle Lamberty)