On Thursday 17 September, members of the European Parliament adopted the draft own-initiative report on healthcare workers by 514 votes to 61, with 33 abstentions. The report, led by Cypriot EPP MEP Lucas Fourlas and Italian ECR MEP Ruggero Razza, supports the idea of a European plan aimed at ensuring better working conditions, substantial support, and better future prospects for healthcare professionals.
“We can’t talk about strong health systems while those keeping them running are exhausted by endless shifts, are forced to care for a disproportionate number of patients and, ultimately, are driven to leave the profession. Nor can we ignore the significant disparities in pay, working conditions, and career opportunities between Member States,” the elected representative explained during a debate on Thursday morning.
These inequalities aggravate the “brain drain” and further weaken the health systems of countries that lose their staff, the Cypriot added.
The own-initiative report calls for an EU emergency plan on healthcare staff in order to add at least another one million healthcare professionals by 2034.
Healthcare professionals must receive fair pay, mental health support, and job security, the MEPs say. They stress the need for quality education and training for staff, and call for support for rare specialties as well as advanced practice roles for nurses.
The European Parliament also stresses the need to ensure the wellbeing of frontline staff, at a time when one in three doctors or nurses face mental health problems.
Additionally, the MEPs call for the EU legislative framework on psychosocial risks and occupational diseases to be strengthened, particularly within the framework of the Quality Jobs Act, in order to recognise insufficient staffing levels as an occupational risk.
They call for adequate funding to ensure health system sustainability, particularly through an increase in public funding and strategic use of European funds, such as the ESF+.
Link to the text: https://aeur.eu/f/nh3 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)