It is undeniable that COVID-19 put a lot of pressure on the entire international health system, bringing the workload and intensity of care professionals to the extreme. Although the situation improved a lot over the last months, we cannot let our guard down and we must learn from the pandemic to improve the healthcare system and build it back better. The joint statement released by the Public Service International cites the Pan-European Commission’s objective 4 to highlight the importance of Strengthening health emergency preparedness:
Reassess and strengthen the links between health and social care in light of the experiences during the pandemic, with the goal of increasing integration between them.
Besides the implementation of a new set of rules and higher standards of preparedness, there’s a need for targeted investment to improve care services, infrastructures, and increase the entire workforce. For this reason, we, as EPHA, co-signatories of the following joint statement, agree with the recommendations made by the Pan-European Commission according to which Health and Sustainable Development budget should be kept out of austerity measures, avoiding in this way, the intervention of private business partners with a profit-oriented approach.
