Following all approvals, the mechanism with an overall budget of €1.5 billion has gone into effect retroactively to Jan. 1, 2021.

The EP said the new program will contribute in areas where the EU can clearly add value, thus complementing member states’ policies. Its main objectives include strengthening health systems by supporting countries’ efforts to coordinate with each other and share data as well as making medicines and medical devices more available, accessible and affordable.

As the goal is to make health systems more resilient, by implementing it the MEPs hope member states will be able to deal more effectively with major cross-border health threats. This, they said, should enable the EU to face not only future epidemics, but also long-term challenges such as an aging population and health inequalities.

The scheme is also intended to support actions linked to e-health and the European Commission’s 2019 plan to create a European Data Space by 2025, which would include the health sector. This, the thinking goes, would promote better exchange and access to different types of health not only to support healthcare delivery but also for health research and health policy-making purposes

Plans also focus on promoting access to quality healthcare, including access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, improving mental health and accelerating the European Beating Cancer plan that will have funding of €4 billion of funding, including €1.25 billion from the EU4Health program.

The parliament has also welcomed the establishment at EU level of a stockpile of essential medical supplies and equipment, which complements the work being done under the rescEU scheme, and foresees a reserve of medical and support staff to be mobilized in the event a health crisis.

As the health program was drawn up before vaccines were available and the intra-European squabbles over delivery priorities began, it does not address the conditions for allocating and delivering the shots or export considerations, which some think should be added to an updated program.

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist