Cross-border health care planned for European Union
Plans to facilitate cross-border health care have been announced by the European Commission following the European Parliament's removal
of health from the forthcoming services directive (PJ, 4 March, p255).
Earlier this month, the commission announced a public
consultation on
how to guarantee patients’ rights to be treated in another country
at the expense of their own national health system. The aim is to put
the rights into written law so that people do not have to fight to recover
the cost of treatment. In the past, some people have had to resort to
the European Court to get their treatment paid for.
Health and consumer protection commissioner Markos Kyprianou said: “The
European Court of Justice has ruled that patients have rights to cross-border
care under community law, but there are uncertainties about what this
means in practice. A clear, practical framework is needed to enable patients,
and those who pay for, provide and regulate health services, to take
advantage of cross-border health care where that is the best solution.
This will also help to unlock huge potential for European co-operation
to help improve efficiency and effectiveness of all EU health systems,
while respecting national responsibility for their organisation and financing.”
Matters to be considered include:
· Terms and conditions requiring health care in another EU country to
be authorised and paid for
· Providing information to patients about treatments available in other
countries
· Responsibilities for supervising cross-border health care
· Responsibility for any harm and compensation
· Patients’ rights
Specific proposals are expected to be announced in 2007 following the
consultation. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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