Commission calls to invest in health

Investing in health not only improves the citizens’ health and quality of life, but also supports economic growth and can generate savings. These are the main conclusions of the «Investing in Health» paper, which is part of the «Social Investment Package» published by the European Commission.

The Commission recommends to EU countries reforming their health systems to ensure the twin aims of providing access to high quality healthcare and using public resources more efficiently. Accordingly, the paper covers 3 themes: investing in sustainable health systems; investing in people’s health; and investing in reducing health inequalities. Specific areas include strengthening primary care and encouraging the use of less expensive equivalent (generic) drugs. Commissioner Tonio Borg discussed the paper with the EU ministers at the Informal Health Council in Dublin, and presented it to 52 European public health organisations in the EU Health Policy Forum on 9 April 2013.