Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-11-Speech-4-040"
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"en.20040311.3.4-040"2
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"Mr President, the increase in life expectancy that has arisen as a result of the scientific and social breakthroughs of the twentieth century must not now be considered a burden on society in the twenty-first. Elderly people have the right to live in dignity, to have access to health care and other forms of care, irrespective of their social or financial situation. This is being called into question in a number of countries, such as mine, Portugal, because of a neo-liberalism that is trying to impose itself in a wide variety of areas, including health, by prioritising competition and competitiveness, thus jeopardising quality public services and showing no respect for people or their rights.
The fact that the majority of the elderly in the European Union are women – over 63% of people aged between 75 and 84, and 72% of those over 85 are women – means that they in particular will be the ones most affected by problems in health care systems and long-term care, either as carers themselves or as people in receipt of care.
The persistence of inequalities in women’s wages and retirement makes them especially vulnerable to the consequences of dismantling public health services and to the shortage of care for the elderly. It should be noted that women form the majority of the 55 million people at risk of poverty in the current 15-Member European Union and of the many millions in the enlargement countries. That is why we are so strongly critical of the fact that the Member States are increasing the proportion of health costs to be borne by patients, both for prevention and for treatments, drugs, and palliative or other care. This situation is jeopardising the principle of solidarity in health systems and contributing to the growth in social exclusion of the less favoured groups in society, who are finding it increasingly difficult to access appropriate, high-quality health care.
Therefore, although I believe the report has its positive aspects, I cannot agree with the insistence on creating an internal market in health services and products, since this will only benefit private organisations, particularly insurance companies, and jeopardise a high-quality, universal public service. What is needed is greater public investment in facilities and equipment and in the training of the technical and specialist workers needed, better provision of quality care and assistance for the elderly, specifically in the health services, and the setting-up of home care services, ensuring that all citizens have access to these services in all the countries of the European Union. Hence the proposals that we tabled.
What is also needed is greater participation by user organisations, the health and care services themselves and their workers in the preparation and implementation of measures, so as to ensure greater democracy in the operation of these services, which must be quality services."@en1
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