EU expansion will open patient floodgates, minister warns
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《英国医生杂志》
Prague
The Irish health minister, Micheál Martin, has warned that migration of patients could become a major issue in an enlarged European Union.
The current 15 member union, of which Ireland currently holds the rotating six month presidency, expands on 1 May to take in 10 new members, most of them former communist countries.
Irish health minister, Micheál Martin, warns of EU migration
Credit: CZECH MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Mr Martin told the BMJ that two rulings by the European Court of Justice in favour of Belgian and Dutch patients—which said that when a person faces an undue delay in receiving care they can seek treatment abroad and must be reimbursed by their health system—could open the floodgates for large numbers of patients to seek treatment outside their own countries.
"That could begin happening on a large scale within an enlarged European Union when borders come down... That could jeopardise or undermine states' ability to develop their own health systems," Mr Martin warned. "There is a very serious issue about how the state funds that."
In an interview during a meeting of 15 health ministers from the current and future EU states in Prague, Mr Martin also said that many accession countries in central and eastern Europe were concerned about losing doctors to better paying western European countries.
Doctors' salaries in some new member countries are around a tenth of those in western Europe and EU accession means automatic recognition for qualifications gained in a member country throughout the union. Doctors' leaders in the region have warned of an exodus to Britain and Germany particularly.
"Obviously we would not want to see a situation where joining the EU would be to the detriment of any new member country's national health service; it would not be good for them to lose vast numbers of their medical staff," Mr Martin said, adding that he did not expect a mass exodus and that Ireland would not be poaching doctors.
Mr Martin said that the European Working Time Directive would have a particular impact on countries' health services, not just on reducing hours but on definitions of what constituted work and rest times.
Joining the EU would bring substantial benefits for the new members on the public health front, he predicted, as, for example, the 10 countries would have to adopt stricter EU environmental health laws.
The expansion would also bring considerable benefits for all 25 countries' health services, he said.(Katka Krosnar)
The Irish health minister, Micheál Martin, has warned that migration of patients could become a major issue in an enlarged European Union.
The current 15 member union, of which Ireland currently holds the rotating six month presidency, expands on 1 May to take in 10 new members, most of them former communist countries.
Irish health minister, Micheál Martin, warns of EU migration
Credit: CZECH MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Mr Martin told the BMJ that two rulings by the European Court of Justice in favour of Belgian and Dutch patients—which said that when a person faces an undue delay in receiving care they can seek treatment abroad and must be reimbursed by their health system—could open the floodgates for large numbers of patients to seek treatment outside their own countries.
"That could begin happening on a large scale within an enlarged European Union when borders come down... That could jeopardise or undermine states' ability to develop their own health systems," Mr Martin warned. "There is a very serious issue about how the state funds that."
In an interview during a meeting of 15 health ministers from the current and future EU states in Prague, Mr Martin also said that many accession countries in central and eastern Europe were concerned about losing doctors to better paying western European countries.
Doctors' salaries in some new member countries are around a tenth of those in western Europe and EU accession means automatic recognition for qualifications gained in a member country throughout the union. Doctors' leaders in the region have warned of an exodus to Britain and Germany particularly.
"Obviously we would not want to see a situation where joining the EU would be to the detriment of any new member country's national health service; it would not be good for them to lose vast numbers of their medical staff," Mr Martin said, adding that he did not expect a mass exodus and that Ireland would not be poaching doctors.
Mr Martin said that the European Working Time Directive would have a particular impact on countries' health services, not just on reducing hours but on definitions of what constituted work and rest times.
Joining the EU would bring substantial benefits for the new members on the public health front, he predicted, as, for example, the 10 countries would have to adopt stricter EU environmental health laws.
The expansion would also bring considerable benefits for all 25 countries' health services, he said.(Katka Krosnar)