By Sarah Collins - 15th February 2008
Slovenian minister for health Zofija Mazej Kukovic has said she expects Brussels to release long-awaited plans on cross-border healthcare during her country’s EU presidency.
She told theparliament.com on Friday, “In the field of health the sole legislative proposal expected during the Slovenian presidency is the proposal on the community framework for safe and efficient cross-border healthcare.
“We intend to negotiate the dossier with all the seriousness it deserves. The outcome will depend on the progress we can make after receiving the proposal and during the council in June, health ministers will be invited to have a policy debate.”
The draft directive was shelved last December due to ‘bad timing’ with the release of proposals on CO2 emissions. It was pushed back again in January for the same reason, according to a commission spokesperson last week.
The plans were due to regulate the conditions under which patients seeking medical treatment can travel to receive care in other member states.
Kukovic said, “The matter has in recent years been the subject of a number of discussions among ministers of health in both formal and informal meetings. We know that it has been also keenly debated in this parliament.
“We would expect the future EU legislative act to be based on common values which are universality, access to high-quality care, equity and solidarity, and principles such as quality, safety, ethical and evidence-based care, patient involvement, redress, privacy and confidentiality.”
Sources say the draft directive was pulled by commission president José Manuel Barroso last December, moments before it was due to be presented to parliament’s public health committee, over fears that it would not be accepted and cause strife for the EU at a politically sensitive time.
Kathy Sinnott, an Irish MEP and member of the committee on public health, thinks this is very much the case, as she told the Parliament Magazine. “I have no doubt that this proposal has been temporarily buried because of the Lisbon treaty ratification, especially in relation to the referendum in Ireland, where an overstretched under-funded public health service is of major concern to voters.”
Despite some member states’ concerns, Kukovic has faith in the plans. “In spite of a number of hesitations on whether an intensified cross-border healthcare could negatively influence national healthcare systems (for example, with regard to member states’ control of costs, the planning of facilities, etc.), we firmly believe that cross-border healthcare should be viewed as an opportunity for closer long-term cooperation in areas where synergy can produce better results to the benefit of patients and EU citizens.”
The European commission remains no closer to releasing the controversial proposals, however, saying last week that the plans are “under further analysis” and “will be scheduled at a further moment in time this year”.
Jeni Bremner, director of the European health management association admits it's a thorny issue for national governments. “The directive touches on sensitive areas for many member states – the provision of healthcare to their citizens. It’s inevitable that there’s a lot of interest and sensitivity to detail.”
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