EPHA: MEPs lead urgent plea from health community to prevent health crisis in Europe

For the first time 9 MEPs and 65 leading civil society organisations, health organisations, and trade unions joined in an open letter ahead of the European Summit, calling on European leaders to stop indiscriminately cutting essential health and social protection that helps people living in Europe cope with the dire impact of a financial crisis.

The coalition is being led by HEAL member European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) whose recent briefing notes summarise the evidence in rising suicides, mental health problems, rates of infectious disease. Addressed to the European Summit, the coalition recalls that cutting spending on health, particularly in primary care and early intervention, is a false economy and this threatens the fundamentals right of access to care.

The coalition calls for courageous leadership from Heads of States and Government to take action on prioritising and championing the health of people, not sacrificing health for short term financial gains.

Read more in EPHA’s press release at www.epha.org/a/5227 and in EPHA’s briefing notes at www.epha.org/a/5192.

Originally posted on 9 July 2012