Patients and their families are the people suffering the most the burden chronic respiratory diseases pose in life. Their distress can only be addressed with a regional “health in all policies” approach, placing health considerations at the heart of air quality, research, public health and, medicines and care EU legislation. Together with other eight organizations, we contacted and persuaded all the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to sign the written declaration 115/2016 on chronic respiratory diseases. We asked them to act, believe and care on this initiative launched by 12 MEPs.
Although the Written Declaration did not reach the quorum of 376 signatures to be adopted by the European Parliament (249 MEPs signed), our efforts promoting written declaration 115 from the grassroots served to build a pool of MEPs informed and interested about the needs of allergy and respiratory patients. Having 1 in 3 MEPs committed to prioritize the patient centred care, prevention and research on allergy, asthma and COPD provides the political recognition these conditions deserve in Europe. And this is just the start!
We are devoted to improve timely and equal access to quality care for allergy, asthma and COPD patients in Europe, and through this written declaration we have strengthened EFA’s contribution to EU policies that cover the prevention and care needs of patients.
Many MEPs joined us during the spirometry testing event on October 23rd to sign the declaration. Some of them, from left to right, were Indrek Tarand (Estonia), Ian Hudghton (UK), Martina Anderson (UK), Damiano Zoffoli (Italy), Luigi Morgano (Italy), Nicola Danti (Italy), Elly Schlein (Italy), Afzal Khan (UK), Seb Dance (UK), Linda McAvan (UK).