Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-11-29-Speech-3-236"
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"en.20061129.20.3-236"2
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"(
) I would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to discuss this issue. In the European Union the very notion of 'patients’ rights' is purely theoretical, as there is considerable legal uncertainty in this area. With regard to transborder healthcare provision, patients’ rights have been shaped exclusively by the rulings of the European Court of Justice, and that only since 1998, when the ECJ ruled in the Kohll vs. Decker case. We cannot expect the public to be familiar with the fact that on 16 May 2006 the Court of Justice ruled in the case of Yvonne Watts, clearly stating that where waiting times are exceedingly long and the patient’s life is at risk, the patient has the right to receive treatment abroad and to have treatment-related costs reimbursed in the home country. The average citizen is often unaware of such rulings. We need legislation which is binding on the Member States, and which will communicate to patients all they need to know about how to find a medical specialist abroad, as well as details of healthcare reimbursement procedures. We can derive some hope from the health services directive referred to in the Commission’s communication, although it is still premature to talk about when this directive might be adopted. I would like to point out that members of the public may submit comments on this communication up until 31 January 2007. At the same time, the quality of healthcare and the availability of up-to-the-minute techniques and theories vary among the Member States. We must offer patients the opportunity to choose where they want to be treated, as unduly long waiting lists may keep people waiting until they die."@en1
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"SK"1
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