Aging, mental health and health digitalization have been the three focuses on which the discussion raised within the Council on the importance of investing in the welfare economy has focused.
Carcedo recalled that our country is already the second with the highest life expectancy. A prolonged longevity whose success lies, in part, in the health system but which poses important challenges. Hence the commitment to address aging also intervening in the youngest.
"One way to influence young and old at the same time is through prevention and promotion of health from childhood to achieve more healthy life expectancy, which in many countries is still reduced compared to total life expectancy," he said. highlighted the minister.
Prevention is also a way to give back to the youngest, still, healthy, the effort they make to maintain a system that is more and more inclined to the older, "he said.
The minister explained that Spain is committed to producing health through National Strategies aimed at the general population that seek, in the first place, the introduction of a health approach in all policies; and secondly, include measures related to the life cycle when necessary (Alzheimer's, Active Aging, the fight against unwanted loneliness or the program to detect frailty and physical activity).
Mental health
The Minister of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare has advanced to her European colleagues that Spain finalizes a Mental Health Strategy whose first objective is to reach a level of mental health health care similar to the excellence achieved in the rest of the system.
It also aims to integrate people with mental health problems in society, including the labor market; and fight stigma, for which the Ministry has involved experts, other governments and the media.
At this point, the minister has urged the EU to promote and foster consensus on several issues. The first is to help ensure the rights of people with mental health problems, taking into account their will and limiting coercive measures to a minimum.
"We believe that the EU can especially support the design of measures to prevent mental health problems for children."
Health Digitization
María Luisa Carcedo has considered "a priority" that the Member States put the clinical data at the service of patients and healthcare professionals for the correct and safe care of patients anywhere in the EU.
"We must fulfill the mandate for the exchange of clinical information of Directive 2011/24 / EU on the rights of patients in cross-border healthcare. Spain is working on this objective within the framework of the Connecting Europe Facility initiative," said the Minister
"We must seek the highest possible secondary performance to the data to investigate how to improve people's health and health systems. States must achieve synergies in efficient, safe and ethical exploitation."
Pharmaceutical policy: improvements in access to medicines
The Council of European Health Ministers, chaired by the Finnish minister, Krista Kiuru, has raised debate on European pharmaceutical policy and how to work to strengthen cooperation and coordination to improve access to medicines.
At this point, the Minister of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare has considered "a priority" to conduct a study of the causes at European level, or even worldwide, to find effective solutions and act proactively.
Carcedo has reminded the 28 member states that Spain, through the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS), has approved a National Plan for drug supply guarantees.
In addition, this Friday, the Council of Ministers has approved a Royal Decree that improves the procedure for authorization, registration and dispensing of medicines for human use of industrial manufacture. Among other measures, it improves the control of the effective putting of the medicines in the market, its notification in case of shortage and the security measures to avoid the entrance of falsified medicines.
Carcedo has pointed out to his European colleagues concrete measures to guarantee access to old and new medicines. Among them, a firm commitment to independent clinical research, especially for advanced therapy medications; or the participation of the funder and the payer in decision-making in the regulatory field of medicines.
"We agree that it would be necessary to impose measures on manufacturers to ensure the availability of medicines once marketed as contingency plans, adding manufacturers in those medicines considered critical, etc., including measures to facilitate the return of manufacturers to the EU, "said the minister.
The state of Health of Spain in the EU
Spain has the highest life expectancy in the EU and its social inequality in health matters is less pronounced than in many other member countries.
These are some of the conclusions included in the report on the State of Health of the European Union, prepared by the European Commission and the OECD.
According to this study, Spain has one of the lowest mortality rates in the EU due to avoidable and treatable causes, which indicates that public health and health care interventions are, in general, effective in preventing European mortality. Our country is among those that budget the most for prevention.
In addition, Spain achieves better results than the EU average in survival after the diagnosis of different cancers such as breast or colon, whose early detection programs have expanded in our country. The exception is lung cancer, which is slightly below average.
Regarding vaccination coverage, it is also above the European average, highlighting the measles vaccine in two-year-old children that stands at 97% and that has allowed Spain to be a virus-free country for the fourth consecutive year according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Primary care remains a central element of the Spanish health system in which doctors and nurses provide assistance to the entire population, as well as health prevention and promotion services for children, women and the elderly.
In terms of universal health coverage, Spain is at the head of the EU countries. Irregular residents are excluded from health legal coverage in one third of the Member States.