Welcome to the April edition of EFA's online newsletter!

The global theme for the World Asthma Day (WAD) 2 May this year – Unmet Needs lead to poor asthma control – reminds us what we learned from patients with severe asthma last year in our European ‘Fighting for Breath’ survey; all too many patients with asthma still and mostly unnecessarily suffer from symptoms, even severe. To improve things for the future, our patients called for further research, access to expert care where I live and clean air to breathe indoors and out. EFA will mark the WAD at our annual conference 10 May in Prague with the theme From Science to Daily Practice.

Two important policy files that we are focusing on at the moment are: The Framework Programme for Research (FP7) and The EU Thematic Strategy for Air Pollution and Directive on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe. Both are in risk of failing to do just this! EFA therefore calls the European Council, Parliament as well as the Commission to take seriously the needs of patients and future patients and to support the inclusion of allergic and respiratory diseases as major diseases in the FP7 and to ensure meaningful and ambitious standards for particles and maintain - not to water down - already agreed air quality standards. Do not miss the opportunity to make a true difference in patients’ lives!

We are delighted to receive and publish news from members regarding World Asthma Day (WAD) activities and look forward to seeing you in Prague.
Best wishes,
Svein-Erik Myrseth
EFA President

EFA advocacy for a stronger EU Thematic Strategy on Air Quality

In March, EFA, the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and the EPHA Environment Network (EEN) sent a joint letter to the rapporteurs of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee and other influential figures in the committee, to underline the importance of a strong and ambitious European Thematic Strategy on Air Quality and called upon ministers to insist that the European Commission’s Proposal for a Directive on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe (COM 2005, 447) should reflect its own impact assessment and the WHO recommendations relating to air pollution. More precisely, the three organizations called for: No re-negotiation of existing limit values and implementation of all WHO air quality guidelines;  Limit values must apply everywhere and should not be turned into a "swiss cheese" by specifying that they apply in certain areas and not in others; and Derogations must be limited or not allowed. A briefing on 'Why Limit Values Must Apply Everywhere' is accessible to EFA members.
A report has been produced by MEP Holger Krahmer for the European Parliament’s Environment committee that does not support a strong Air Quality Directive and it is vital that organizations with an interestin health and the environment impress upon national MEPs in the Committee and the health and environment ministers of national governments the importance of strengthening this vital piece of European legislation and making positive amendments to the report before it is due to be adopted in May 2006. A parliamentary session and vote is scheduled around mid-June 2006.
The European Council has already debated the strategy and the draft proposal and made comments (including: “It will be important that public health considerations are maintained in the negotiations and that the aim of reducing people's exposure to air pollution, in particular fine particles, is remembered.”) Agreement on a common position is expected from the European Council in late June 2006.
We will keep you updated.

EFA members' news: Asthma UK launches Asthma Control Test

On World Asthma Day on 2 May 2006, Asthma UK is launching the Asthma Control TestTM, a 60-second five-point questionnaire to help people really understand how well their asthma is controlled. The rationale for this test is that just 1 in 5 adults with asthma in the UK currently have their asthma under control; That means over 3 million adults with asthma are living with symptoms that impact unnecessarily on their daily lives.

The Asthma Control Test will be the first ever asthma control census by Asthma UK - people with asthma will be able to complete the test online and will be given a simple score out of 25 and advice on what to do next. Results will be collated to paint a picture of asthma control across the UK. See www.asthma.org.uk for more information.

World Asthma Day in Lithuania

The Lithuanian Council of Asthma Clubs is holding events to celebrate World Asthma Day in Lithuania on 6 and 7 May 2006.  Representatives from more than 20 Lithuanian asthma clubs will take part in the conference "Patients’ Rights and Information Society" and a festival will be taking place for asthma patients in Palanga on 6 May. The main topics of the conference are: Are patients’ rights known well enough by asthma patients? And What role patients’ organizations should have in increasing asthma  awareness?
Additionally, a World Asthma Day festival for children with asthma will be organized in Klaipeda Dolphinarium on 7 May.  For more information e-mail its@bite.avb.lt

European launch of the 'Lifting the Smoke-screen' on passive smoking

A report by the Smoke-Free Partnership, partnership between European Respiratory Society (ERS), Cancer Research UK and National Institute of Cancer in France, ‘Lifting the Smoke-screen – 10 Reasons for a Smoke-Free Europe’, was launched in the European Parliament on 21 March 2006. It revealed that passive smoking is responsible for killing around 20,000 non-smoking EU citizens every year and around 80,000 deaths, both smokers and non-smokers, are attributable to passive smoking. The report recommends that “all EU Member States should introduce comprehensive smoke free legislation to make all workplaces and enclosed and enclosed public spaces at the earliest opportunity and that the public support is there!”

EFA was represented in the stakeholder panel of the launch by Martin Dockrell from the Asthma UK. Martin said that the past UK experience has showed that voluntary agreements are a fiasco, they actually resulted in ‘smoking allowed’ signs outside bars and restaurants. Exemptions fail to do precisely what smoking bans should be all about – protecting vulnerable groups. Asthma attack from second hand smoke is like justifying an assault.

All EFA members will receive a complimentary copy of the report.

Source: EUPolitix, 21 March 2006 and EFA

New European Public Health Programme voted in European Parliament

On 6 April 2005 the Commission adopted a Health and Consumer protection Strategy and a proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision creating the Community Programme for Health and Consumer protection 2007-2013. The strategy and programme proposal bring together and extend the current EU Public Health Programme and the current programme in support of EU consumer policy. The common objectives of the programme are: To protect citizens from risks and threats which are beyond the control of individuals and that cannot be effectively tackled by individual Member States; To increase the ability of citizens to take better decisions about their health and consumer interests; and To mainstream health and consumer policy objectives across all Community policies.

The Proposal (COM 2005, 115) had its first reading in a plenary session of the European Parliament on 16 March 2006 and the rapporteur, Greek MEP Trakatellis’ report was adopted with amendments. Many of the amendments of the Parliament refer to the eligibility for core funding of patient groups as well as specialised networks through the programme (see particularly Amendments 40, 53, 54 and 141), and an increase in the budget to 1500 million, to account for a widening of actions. The European Parliament’s view is that the European Commission’s proposal to fuse public health and consumer protection is not valid, since the two areas come under different legal bases and the Parliament therefore called for a division of the programme into two.

The Proposal has yet to be discussed in the European Council. Unfortunately the current developments in the EU financial perspectives which are a result of the UK EU Presidency agreement last year will inevitably cut down the budget for public health. We will keep you informed.

Europeans are worried about medical errors and the EC plans to improve safety and quality of health care

According to a Eurobarometer survey published in February, European citizens generally do not feel protected from medical errors and European health care is not perceived to be as safe as it should be. The survey looks at the general perception of medical errors across EU Member States as well as patients’ experiences of medical errors and their practical implications (i.e. trust in medical professionals, perceived likelihood to suffer a medical error and preventability). The survey results are available online not only in English, but also in French and German.
This interest and initiative in health care may be traced back to the World Health Assembly Resolution (2002) urging WHO and Member States to pay the closest possible attention to the problem of patient safety, the World Health Organization (WHO)’s launch of the World Alliance for Patient Safety in 2004 and the EU Luxembourg Presidency adopted the Luxembourg Declaration on Patient Safety, in April 2005.
This Eurobarometer survey was carried out as part of a series of EU actions aimed at improving patient safety and the quality of health care and the Commission says it is planning future steps to improve the safety and quality in health care by involving all players including politicians, public administrators and health care professionals. The range of measures envisaged includes the establishment of an EU stakeholder forum to discuss activities on patient safety, and an open consultation on hospital-acquired infections. 

Health Inequalities: a Challenge for Europe' report published

On 14 March 2006, the European Commission’s DG Health and Consumer Protection published two new reports on Health Inequalities in Europe, commissioned as part of the UK Presidency in 2005. The first report ‘Health Inequalities: a Challenge for Europe’ is a review of national-level policies and strategies aimed at tackling health inequalities and to reduce the variable health gap within Member States. Much progress has been achieved but many challenges still remain. The second report, ‘Health Inequalities: Europe in Profile’ presents data on inequalities in mortality in 21 countries, inequalities in self-assessed health in 19 countries, and inequalities in smoking in 24 countries.
Health Inequalities is an area also receiving particular attention from the European Parliament: in the recent adoption of the public health programme (2007-2013) see above, particular mention was made of the importance of closing the gap of health inequalities throughout Europe.

 

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