Brussels, 04/05/2004 (Agence Europe) - An action plan just adopted by the European Commission shows how information and communication technologies can be used to deliver better quality health care Europe-wide. The proposals will contribute to better care at the same or lower cost. The Action Plan will be presented on Thursday during the week when Ministers and the Commission will meet in Cork (on Thursday). It sets out the objective of a "European e-Health Area" and identifies practical steps to get there.
By 2005 Member State should develop their own roadmaps for e-Health, and an EU public health portal should be up and running to provide a one-stop shop access to health information. By 2006 work should be well advanced on key issues such as developing a common approach to data allowing patients to be identified and putting standards in place which mean that all the different parts of healthcare networks can talk to each other and read and exchange patient information. By 2008 health information networks should be commonplace, delivering services over fixed and wireless broadband networks and making the most of networks within so called "Grids" to boost computing power and the interaction between different systems. Commenting on the publication of this Action Plan, Enterprise and Information Society Commissioner Erkki Liikanen said: "The challenges facing health care in Europe today require a bold response. The greater use of technologies and services - such as the Internet - as a partner in improving health care must be encouraged. This plan helps us to do this because new technologies and services make access faster and easier, reduce errors, and improve the effectiveness of health care systems. This area that covers both health care and e-Health technologies is where Europe and European business is strong, and these strengths must be further supported." The text in English of the Action Plan can be found at: ( http: //europa.eu.int/information_society/doc/qualif/health/com2004_356_ehealth.pdf ).