Call to finance "sustainable" health care in EU

An interim report, titled Financing Sustainable Healthcare in Europe, examines the problem of demographic threats to the sustainability of European Union health care systems, outlining novel approaches to achieve better health outcomes.

The Health Policy and Finance Experts to Recommend Urgent Actions at Helsinki Conference to Secure Quality Healthcare for EU Citizens is a multi-partner expert group including: the European Investment Bank; the World Bank; the European Health Management Association; the University of Toulouse, France; INSEAD, France; the London School of Economics, UK; the Luxembourg Ministry of Health; Finland's National Fund for R&D (Sitra); and USA-headquartered global drug giant Pfizer.

The group's initial recommendations are: to increase competition in health care provision, with comprehensive, results-orientated health care; to provide consumers and suppliers of health care with the proper incentives to consume wisely and produce efficiently, including by making patients more financially responsible for their health care consumption; to empower patients via "increased access to quality information relevant to their health;" to reward innovation and reform health technology assessment in the EU. A final report is due to be presented to a conference in Helsinki, Finland in February 2007.