Self-Medication In Europe: A Common Position

European Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Padraig Flynn andUrsula Schleicher, vice president of the European Parliament, have welcomed the common position on self-medication in Europe drawn up by five medical and industry organizations (see page 25) and have urged that it now be made available to patients.

They were speaking at a joint symposium held in Brussels (Marketletter March 10) by the signatories, the Standing Committee of Medical Doctors in Europe (CP), the European Union of General Practitioners (UEMO), the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) and the European Proprietary Medicines Manufacturers Association (AESGP).

Christina Funnell, chief executive of the UK Association for Quality in Health Care, noted the need to follow the example of the business community and focus on the needs of the customer. Patient involvement and commitment is necessary, she said; "the patient is not a clinicallly interesting presentation sitting in a bed, who comes into hospital, has things done to it, and then walks out well." Yet this is the model of the patient on which most of the culture and practice of our health services have been built, she said.