On Thursday 3 April in Strasbourg, MEPs warned against the risks taken by patients seeking treatment outside the EU, and some called for a review of the rules on cross-border healthcare.
This was the case in particular of Tomislav Sokol (EPP, Croatian), who suggested consolidating the rules on prior authorisation for treatment abroad and authorising payment in advance by social security. Funding should be provided at European level to partially cover the cost of treatment abroad”, he said.
Billy Kelleher (Renew Europe, Irish) called for a review of the cross-border healthcare directive “to ensure that there is no unused capacity in Europe in Member States with excess capacity”.
According to Seán Kelly (EPP, Irish), in some cases, patients receiving treatment abroad may be confronted with poorly regulated clinics, unqualified practitioners and a lack of follow-up.
Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Health, has acknowledged (https://aeur.eu/f/g96 ) that the use of medical services outside the EU does not offer the protections that exist in EU countries. Outside the EU, healthcare regulations vary considerably. “Some destinations may offer high-quality services, but others may lack proper oversight, leading to risks such as misdiagnosis, infection or substandard procedures, and possibly also unfair competition to European services”, he concluded. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)