Latest news with #PHSSR
Euronews
12-06-2025
- Health
- Euronews
EU long-term budget: Is health funding on the chopping block?
Emerging priorities such as defence and competitiveness are increasingly drawing resources away from other sectors, raising concerns that health – a key focus of the previous EU mandate – may pay the highest price in the upcoming long-term EU budget. The European Commission is expected to unveil its proposal for the next seven-year budget in July. However, early leaks and mounting speculation suggest that the dedicated health fund could be merged with broader funding instruments, or potentially scrapped altogether. Although health policy is primarily the responsibility of national governments, EU member states allocated €5.3 billion for health through the EU4Health programme in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This marked the first time a standalone health budget was created at the EU level. Prior to this, EU health initiatives operated with much smaller resources: The health programme for 2014–2020 had a total budget of just €450 million, significantly less than EU4Health. Since its launch, EU4Health has financed a range of initiatives, such as a recent €1.3 million project to address the nursing shortage across Europe by promoting the profession in countries most affected. Yet many fear that the programme will not survive the next programming cycle. Even some EU officials have hinted that EU4Health may have been a one-time measure. Lawmakers have raised alarms about the potential disappearance of EU4Health and its impact on flagship initiatives from the previous term, such as the Beating Cancer Plan. Croatian MEP Tomislav Sokol pointed out the importance of maintaining a dedicated health budget since health has become one of the most important topics in the EU after the pandemic. For this reason, the EU has opted to create a separate health programme within the bloc's budget to support initiatives like the EU health data space and the European reference networks. 'If we're not able to protect this, I'm afraid this will all be diluted and absorbed by some other big funds in the budget, and we will lose this focus on healthcare that we have now,' he told Euronews. Sokol also cited newer priorities like the Critical Medicines Act, arguing that they, too, will require substantial EU funding. "Of course, healthcare remains largely a national responsibility, but EU support is needed to create a level playing field across member states," he added. Concerns over future health investment stem in part from recent budget reallocations. In February 2024, approximately €1 billion was redirected from EU4Health to help finance an aid package for Ukraine. The looming cuts are causing anxiety in the health sector. The PHSSR – a coalition of academics, policymakers, and politicians working on sustainable health systems – highlighted the need for continued investment in a recent report ahead of the Commission's proposal. In an interview with Euronews, AstraZeneca senior vice-president Greg Rossi, who participated in the PHSSR, stressed that Europe risks falling behind in life sciences. "We're seeing massive innovation and opportunity in improving health outcomes. My area, cancer, has seen extraordinary advances in the last 10 to 15 years. But Europe is losing ground," he said, adding that research and development funding has declined, with clinical trials increasingly moving out of Europe. He warned that, without specific health investment initiatives like a dedicated EU health funding, access to innovation will worsen, health outcomes will deteriorate, and Europe's competitive edge will erode. 'Health is an investment to be made, not a cost to be managed. And if we do so, we'll improve the health and the wealth of our countries,' he said. The European Commission is preparing a comprehensive overhaul of the its long-term budget, also known as Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) post-2027. The aim is to make it simpler, more effective, and more aligned with evolving policy priorities. Currently, the MFF stands at around €1.2 trillion – roughly 1% of the EU's GDP. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is considering a major restructuring of the MFF for 2028–2034, possibly moving away from the current system of over 50 EU-level programmes. Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin previously indicated that the next budget proposal will focus on "fewer, more focused programmes" and a more strategic, ambitious framework. The European Commission's proposal, expected in mid-July, will offer the first concrete signal of what lies ahead for health funding in the EU.
Daily News Egypt
25-05-2025
- Health
- Daily News Egypt
AUC joins international initiative to bolster Egypt's healthcare system
The American University in Cairo (AUC) announced on Sunday that a team of its faculty and researchers is collaborating on a project to assess and enhance the Egyptian healthcare system, as the country aims to expand its national universal health insurance to all citizens by 2030. The AUC team, led by Hesham Dinana, an assistant professor in AUC's Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, is working alongside Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population, the London School of Economics, and other academics. This project is part of the Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience (PHSSR), an international collaboration involving academia, governments, and the private sector, dedicated to strengthening healthcare systems worldwide. Egypt is noted as the first African country to join this global initiative. A comprehensive report, resulting from this collaboration, has analysed and provided recommendations across seven critical domains of Egypt's healthcare system: governance, financing, workforce, medicines and technology, service delivery, population health, and environmental sustainability, aiming to identify its strengths and weaknesses. 'This project aims to create lasting solutions that improve access, early detection, and overall care for all Egyptians. So many studies end up with recommendations that never go into action, and that's something I wanted to avoid from the beginning,' Dinana said. Building on the report's findings, the team is now developing two key initiatives for implementation within Egypt's healthcare reform. These include creating a centralised health data platform to improve decision-making and resource allocation, and establishing a fair financing system. This system will aim to match healthcare spending with the most common health issues and utilise new payment methods to maintain manageable and sustainable costs. Dinana explained that these efforts are designed to ensure resources are distributed where they are most needed. 'By using advanced data and innovative payment models, we can create a system that not only improves healthcare outcomes but also makes it more affordable and equitable for all, especially the most vulnerable populations.' The research team is currently working with the government and the private sector to launch educational and advocacy programmes that will support the implementation of these initiatives. Serving on the project's advisory board from AUC are Mohamed Salama, professor and graduate programme director at AUC's Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology (IGHHE), and Fayrouz Sakr-Ashour, assistant professor at IGHHE. The report's AUC-affiliated co-authors include Basma Saleh (MPH '23), Hebatalla Ismail (MPH '24), Eman Abu Aly (MPH '25), and Marwa Hafiz (MPH '25), who also serves as the project's coordinator. Researchers from other institutions contributing to the report include Fatma MA Barakat from the American University of Beirut and Ranin Soliman from the University of Oxford. 'We as a team believe that focusing on healthcare and education as Egypt's top priorities is crucial right now,' Dinana noted. 'Healthcare is not just a medical field; it intersects with finance, economics, communications, and engineering. It requires a diverse set of skills, many of which we have here at AUC. This partnership demonstrates that we are trusted to produce world-class solutions,' he concluded.
Al Etihad
13-05-2025
- Health
- Al Etihad
ADPHC, AstraZeneca forge strategic partnership to enhance COPD awareness, care in Abu Dhabi
14 May 2025 00:05 ABU DHABI (WAM)The Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) and AstraZeneca FZ LLC (AstraZeneca) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch a collaborative public health project to strengthen public health initiatives, and improve outcomes for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Abu Dhabi emirate. The MoU was signed on May 13 2025, by Dr. Omniyat Al Hajeri, Executive Director of Community Health sector, representing ADPHC, and Sameh El Fangary. Cluster President GCC, AstraZeneca, representing global biopharmaceutical AstraZeneca, during the 25th IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion, taking place from May 13 to 16, 2025, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). Dr. Rashed Alsuwaidi, Director General of ADPHC said, "This partnership reflects our steadfast commitment to improving population health in Abu Dhabi through proactive and innovative approaches. By partnering with AstraZeneca, we aim to deliver comprehensive solutions that raise public awareness, promote early screening, and enable best-in-class care for COPD patients. This initiative builds upon the recommendations from the Abu Dhabi Public Health System Sustainability and Resilience (PHSSR) report and strengthens our vision of a healthier Abu Dhabi."Sameh El Fangary, Cluster President GCC, AstraZeneca shared, "Our most recent collaboration with ADPHC is a significant milestone in advancing public health and addressing the rising burden of chronic respiratory diseases in the UAE. Through this MoU, we are proud to support the UAE's healthcare priorities by sharing global best practices, driving education, and enabling early diagnosis and treatment pathways. Together, we are working towards a future where every patient has the opportunity to achieve better health outcomes and an improved quality of life."The strategic agreement outlines a shared vision between ADPHC and AstraZeneca to enhance population health through coordinated efforts centred around disease awareness, prevention, and best practice sharing. This shared vision will significantly benefit COPD patients in Abu two-year partnership aligns with the company's mission to transform healthcare, and improve patient outcomes, through evidence-based and collaborative strategic alliance focuses on three key pillars:-Disease Awareness: Jointly creating and executing public awareness campaigns to educate the community about COPD. This will include online and offline initiatives to encourage routine testing and early screening.-Disease Prevention: Developing early detection strategies to identify COPD in its initial stages, enabling timely intervention and management to reduce the long-term health burden on individuals and the healthcare system.-Best Practice Sharing: Utilising AstraZeneca's global insights and best practices in diagnostics and disease management to enhance patient care in Abu Dhabi. This may include workshops, knowledge exchange sessions with other AstraZeneca affiliates, and collaboration with international partners.A joint task force will be established, with ADPHC and AstraZeneca representatives to oversee the project's execution. The task force will be responsible for aligning strategic priorities, evaluating feasibility, and tracking the progress of each initiative under the Mou. All agreed-upon projects will be subject to further detailed documentation, and the implementation will proceed upon mutual approval from both parties' which is dedicated to elevating community health through innovation and integrated public health systems, continues to build on its commitment to address non-communicable diseases, including cancer and respiratory illnesses. As part of its broader public health strategy, ADPHC launched the Abu Dhabi Public Health Sustainability and Resilience (PHSSR) report, emphasising the need for early screening and legislative support to combat chronic a global leader in addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in oncology, cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic diseases (CVRM), respiratory conditions such as COPD, and rare diseases, brings unparalleled expertise to the collaboration. This partnership is a testament to the unwavering commitment of both ADPHC and AstraZeneca to improving public health in Abu Dhabi, and advancing innovative solutions for chronic disease management.
