The European Parliament’s Special Committee on learning lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic met on Monday 28 November with experts who shared their experiences of working with vulnerable groups.
Dr Kirsten Rennie, a research associate at the University of Cambridge’s School of Clinical Medicine, pointed out that people with obesity and type 2 diabetes were at greater risk of hospitalisation. However, the pandemic and health restrictions have had an impact on the physical activity and diet of vulnerable groups. For example, childhood obesity increased during the pandemic, particularly for pre-school children. In the elderly, a sedentary lifestyle has increased the risk of falls.
If restrictions are to be reintroduced, Dr Rennie recommends ensuring a balance between viral transmission and healthy living, particularly for children in disadvantaged and low-income households.
On behalf of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN), Kahina Rabahi stressed that the pandemic has been not only a health crisis, but also a social crisis with decreasing incomes and increasing expenses, especially for refugees, single women, ethnic minorities and the homeless.
Ms Rabahi presented best practice and regretted that some national supporters did not include working students and temporary workers. She regretted that the national reform and resilience plans do not achieve the goal of social inclusiveness.
Dr Ion Bératis, supervisor of the Alzheimer Center of the Nestor Psychogeriatric Society, shared his experience with patients suffering from senility or Alzheimer’s disease who have experienced increased isolation and psychological burden. His recommendations include: - the implementation of hygiene protocols to maintain adequate services; - improving the digital literacy of older people; - the development of technological tools adapted to the needs of older people.
For Dr Beratis, national and European resources are crucial to support relevant interventions.
Eleni Skouteli presented her experience with children with disabilities.
The recommendations of Dr Pascal Garel, head of the European Hospital and Healthcare Federation (HOPE), focused on better coordination of the different levels of care for all components of the health systems, stronger integration of care and investments. In order to tackle the problem of manpower shortages, he advocated supportive policies for the health workforce, which has been heavily affected by the pandemic, and workforce planning.
Nadia Hadad, representing the European Disability Forum, believes that the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on people with disabilities. She called for accessible communication for people with disabilities, disability-specific data collection, and training for health and safety personnel.
Finally, Dr Kira West, Chair of the Danish Council on Socially Disadvantaged Adults, recommended, among other things, the adoption of contingency plans for vulnerable people, the provision of flexibility for vulnerable people in the event of the introduction of health restriction measures and the creation of national/local partnerships between charities and policy makers. (Original version in French by Emilie Vanderhulst)