COVID-19 Debate: What lessons can Europe learn from the pandemic?

It has been greater than two years for the reason that COVID-19 pandemic upended society as we all know it, forcing governments to rethink the significance of well being coverage.

Whereas the virus remains to be current, a lot of the world has tried to maneuver on, whilst infections and hospitalisations proceed to rise and fall.

Europe rapidly grew to become one of many early epicentres of the pandemic in 2020, with Italy the second nation to implement strict lockdown measures after China, and so the European Union took centre-stage to assist member states with the fallout.

However the bloc additionally confronted criticism over member states’ unilateral actions to shut borders and the EU’s early wrestle within the vaccine rollout.

So what can we study from these previous years of residing with COVID-19 and the way can that assist us to be more healthy sooner or later?

These are the important thing questions that Euronews will handle in a debate on twenty ninth June in affiliation with the European Well being Parliament initiative entitled European Well being Coverage – suggestions for a more healthy future.

Alongside visitors from European establishments and civil society, we’ll take a look at the teachings discovered from the pandemic and the challenges of reworking the healthcare system for the higher.

Watch the controversy within the video participant above on 29 June at 3:30 pm.

Classes discovered

One principal theme is the impression that COVID-19 performed on psychological well being and different sicknesses.

Within the first yr of the pandemic, as an example, the prevalence of hysteria and melancholy elevated by 25%, in line with the World Well being Group (WHO).

One of many main elements, the WHO mentioned, was the rise in stress because of social isolation throughout a number of lockdowns the world over. Younger folks had been among the many worst impacted by the stress of the pandemic.

The illness additionally brought about disruptions in well being providers for different sicknesses — placing a highlight on overstretched well being techniques throughout Europe.

Wanting forward

The controversy may also contemplate the way forward for healthcare within the European Union together with the Fee’s proposal to digitalise well being information.

The Fee goals to create a European Well being Dataspace (EHDS) to share vital well being data between member states.

They are saying it should enable residents to raised entry their well being data and can lower your expenses for the bloc.

Panelists

These visitors will be a part of the controversy moderated by Euronews’ Stefan Grobe.

Sandra Gallina

Gallina is the Director-Basic of the European Fee’s Directorate-Basic of Well being and Meals Safety (DG SANTE). Gallina oversees the EU’s insurance policies on meals security and well being and the implementation of all associated legal guidelines.

Underneath her management, the European Fee spearheaded the joint procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, established the Well being Emergency Preparedness and Response (HERA) and launched the brand new EU4Health programme, set to run from 2021 till 2027.

Tomislav Sokol

Sokol is a Member of the European Parliament from Croatia who belongs to the European Folks’s Occasion (EPP).

Sokol sits with the Committee on the Inside Market and Client Safety (IMCO) and the Particular Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic: classes discovered and proposals for the longer term (COVI).

Since getting into the parliament in 2019, Sokol has been deeply concerned in EU well being coverage and has advocated for the usage of cohesion funds as a software to handle healthcare disparities throughout the bloc.

Anca Toma

Toma is the Govt Director of the European Sufferers Discussion board (EPF), an impartial non-profit, non-governmental umbrella organisation that features 77 affected person organisations at EU and nationwide degree.

Toma has over 15 years of expertise in European well being coverage working in coverage advocacy, strategic communications, and growing profitable pan-European advocacy campaigns.

Eleonora Varntoumian

Varntoumian is the President of the seventh version of the European Well being Parliament (EHP) and a senior coverage officer on the European Most cancers Affected person Coalition (ECPC).

Varntoumian has been working for the previous 4 years in oncology, a profession path she took up after shedding a number of relations to most cancers. Varntoumian can also be a board member on the Institute of Most cancers & Disaster and Advisory Council member in Jourdan-Saint Pierre in Etterbeek-Brussels.