EPECS and (Positive) Health for all citizens across all borders
EPECS is a foundation. It is part of many networks of (regional) citizens/insured persons/patient organisations in Europe, especially within the EU.
The borders of the countries still apply within the EU in the areas of welfare and care. The core of the EU is also that each country of the EU ensures good facilities in its own country. At the same time, the free movement of people, goods and services within the EU applies. This makes it necessary for the EU to have, among other things, a Cross-border Care Directive. This will make it possible for citizens of any country to receive care in other EU countries, too, with that country's backpack. EPECS puts the citizen first and from here it will fight against the obstacles if the citizen can receive the necessary care across the border within the EU. We are therefore committed to strengthening the citizen's position in cross-border and European health care. more...
Cross-border care directive
On 19 January 2011, the European Parliament adopted the EU Directive on the application of patients' rights in cross-border healthcare. This directive sets out how citizens can access healthcare within the EU across the borders of their own country. This is important for many EU citizens, including tens of millions of citizens who are part of border regions across the EU. The Directive follows the logic of the EU; the free movement of people, goods and services within the EU. The directive supports patients in accessing care abroad within the EU. However, this needs to be done carefully, often in close consultation with the parties within a country that provide and pay for the healthcare. In principle, according to this directive, EU citizens are largely free to decide in which EU country they want to be treated outpatient or in-patient. The directive now also ensures that the quality of care in all EU countries is continuously improved and that Health is now also higher on the agenda of the Commission, the Parliament and the Committee of the Regions (CoR) in Brussels. more…
National contact point (NCP): still a lot of work to be done
Under the 2011 EU Patients Directive, all EU Member States must have established a so-called National Contact Point (NCP) for patients since November 2013. This is to guarantee patients' rights in cross-border care. In collaboration with Maastricht University, a study has been carried out to assess the extent to which the EU Member States comply with the legal requirements that the EU imposes on this NCP. The main results are as follows
In February 2014, 4 out of 28 Member States were found not to have an active NCP and 1 Member State had a website that was not yet ready.
Many NCPs only have a website. However, two NCPs have an option for the patient to either make an appointment or to visit the NCP.
EPECS is still not satisfied with the way in which Member States have implemented Article 6 of the Directive, namely the establishment of the NCP. We have the impression that a few Member States have been and are very willing to provide patients with as much information as possible, but many Member States have only done what was strictly necessary. From our point of view, there is still a lot of work to be done in the Member States themselves and on a transparent option for patient mobility in Europe.
Download: our letter to the European Commission, 10 December 2014 // Activity report in English
