Austerity should not be at expense of public health: EP

The European Parliament (EP) voted Tuesday in favor of a resolution to improve patient safety, insisting that austerity policies should not be at the expense of public health.

In a plenary session in Strasbourg, EP members noted that "the current economic crisis has increased pressure on national health budgets and therefore has an impact on patient safety."

They called on EU member states to ensure that patient safety is not affected by austerity measures and that healthcare systems remain adequately funded.

"Austerity measures cannot be imposed in such a way that they affect the safety of patients, staff or experts in hospitals," said Italian MEP Piernicola Pedicini (EFDD), who put forward the recommendations.

Pedicini's proposals were adopted by 637 votes for, with 32 against and 10 abstentions.

According to the EP, between 8 percent and 12 percent of patients admitted to hospitals in the EU suffer from adverse effects while receiving health care and nearly half of these effects could be avoided.

The most common side effects are related to health care-associated infections, medication and complications during or after surgery.

MEPs also proposed measures to ensure that antibiotics are used more responsibly. They called on pharmaceutical companies to invest in the development of new antimicrobial agents, and asked the European Commission to consider a legislative framework to encourage the development of new antibiotics.

"25,000 people die in Europe each year because of growing resistance to antibiotics. We must stimulate the search for new substances. The online sale and the prophylactic use of medicines in the veterinary sector should also be avoided," declared Pedicini. Enditem