Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-11-29-Speech-3-232"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20061129.20.3-232"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
".
Mr President, the issue of high-quality health services is of great importance to all European citizens. Moreover, the right to healthcare is a fundamental right recognised by the EU Charter.
Nevertheless, health services are primarily national in nature. There is, however, broad consensus that there is a clear added value in cooperation on health services at European level. Together with the Member States, the Commission has been conducting a mapping exercise on common principles and elements of healthcare in the European Union. Special attention was paid to patients’ rights.
According to our preliminary results, there are indeed common elements of patients’ rights shared by EU health systems. These include providing timely and appropriate healthcare, sufficient information to patients about different treatment options, respecting confidentiality of health data and compensation for harm from negligence in healthcare. However, the mechanisms in place across the Member States to implement these principles vary widely in practice. They range from patients’ rights laws to non-binding patient charters, legal obligations for health professionals, patient ombudsmen, etc. Moreover, those mechanisms do not sufficiently take into account the situation of patients to or from other Member States. This is a particular area where Community on health services could help to improve the situation.
As Parliament is aware, we have recently launched a public consultation regarding Community action on health services. This public consultation explicitly addresses issues directly linked to patients’ rights. Depending on the outcome of the consultation, issues relating to patients’ rights could be addressed through proposals for Community action in 2007, whilst of course respecting subsidiarity. Whether this would be a legislative proposal or rather take the form of a charter on patients’ rights will depend, as I have said, on the results of the consultation. I look forward to listening to the views of Members in today’s debate."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples