As the EU’s COVI committee continues its discussions on lessons to be learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers are investigating how the past two years have impacted the most economically vulnerable in Europe.
“The COVID pandemic is a health and social crisis [where] the poorest have suffered the worst consequences and have become even poorer,” said Kahina Rabahi, Policy & Advocacy Coordinator at the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN), speaking at a dedicated session of the COVI committee on Monday and Tuesday (28 and 29 November).
Rabahi was referring in particular to single-parent families, people with disabilities, Roma and frontline workers such as carers and supermarket employees.
Other representatives present at the COVI Commission pointed the finger at European governments for not having supported this part of the population enough, both financially and with access to care.
And according to Rabahi, COVID-19 also proved “that the welfare state was in decline”.
Several European governments put in place allowances to support people in financial difficulty during the pandemic. In Austria, for instance, the fund for families in difficulty has made it possible to support households where one of the two parents has become unemployed.
“But many people are excluded from these benefits,” Rabahi said, citing students, platform workers, sex workers, and artists among others.
These jobs are also usually done by women, migrants, or other people from a minority background who were already in a precarious situation after the 2008 financial crisis.
“Have the measures put in place by the different governments been discriminatory?” asked socialist MEP Sara Cerdas to the expert. “Yes and no,” Rabahi replied, adding: “If they did not exclude people from poverty, most of these measures were not adequate.”
Limited access to care
People in precarious financial situations also found it more difficult to protect themselves from the virus. For caregivers, the risk of infection was higher and for homeless people, it was almost impossible to get tested or vaccinated.
In France, in the event of a cerebral vascular accident, belonging to the poorest quarter of households reduces the chances of high-quality treatment by 10% when compared to the wealthiest quarter of households, according to a report by the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (Drees).
Such patterns are also borne out in more routine health care, such as dental and eye care, which is generally not covered by insurance.
“Some poor people would rather have a tooth pulled than have it treated. One, because it costs more to treat, and two, because they wait too long and the extraction is no longer avoidable,” Rabahi said.
The COVI committee also found that the pandemic has had a negative impact on the mental health of the most vulnerable households.
Increased bills and running costs as a result of the various lockdowns have created “additional stress” for families, according to centre-right MEP Cindy Franssen.
Digital divide
Members of the committee also highlighted another generator of inequality in access to care between the poor and the rich: The digital divide. The pandemic and restraint measures have encouraged the rise of digital technology, particularly in the field of health, where many services have been digitised.
Patients can now make appointments with doctors, consult their medical test results or have remote consultations via online platforms.
While this progress is “significant”, it is also a “real concern”, noted Kirsten Rennie to COVI, a senior research associate at the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine.
“Access to online care doesn’t take into account the digital divide and access to data,” she added, citing as an example a large number of households where there is only one smartphone for everyone.
According to her, we must find a “remedy” to avoid leaving a part of the population on the sidelines.
At the conclusion of the committee session, MEP Franssen said that we must “avoid the same mistakes” and ensure “basic access”, especially for those who do not have access to the same plethora of digital tools.
By Clara Bauer-Babef
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Global health strategy. In a leak of a draft of the strategy seen by EURACTIV, the main message is that “the EU intends to reassert its responsibility and deepen its leadership in the interest of the highest attainable standards of health, based on fundamental values, such as solidarity and equity, and the respect of human rights,” the drafts reads.
It also says that there is a need to address the “significant changes in global health and geopolitics” and “strengthen EU leadership in this area,” while embracing a Team Europe-approach.
The strategy was presented Wednesday (30 November) by the Commission.
COVID-19 therapeutics. Available monoclonal antibody medicines may not be effective against the new COVID-19 omicron sub-variants, such as BQ1.1, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) warned Thursday (24 November).
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Violence against women. Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Friday (25 November), the Commission called for the smooth adoption of the directive on combatting violence against women and the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention.
Medical device shortage. EU lawmakers questioned EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides about the risk of medical device shortages as the transition into a new framework for these products is not progressing smoothly during a plenary session Thursday afternoon (24 November).
Diabetes. The European Parliament adopted a motion for resolution on the prevention, management and better care of diabetes in the EU Wednesday (23 November), marking World Diabetes Day.
Cross-border telemedicine scrapped from EHDS. The Czech EU Council presidency is expected to reach a common position just on the first two chapters of the European Health Data Space (EHDS) file, in which ministers will propose scrapping the European Commission’s provisions on cross-border telemedicine.
Last EU Council of the Czech presidency. Apart from the initial chapters of the EHDS, what does look like it will be concluded under the Czech presidency at the Health EU council on 9 December, is the revision of the EU Council recommendation on cancer screening, Council conclusions on a special report by the European Court of Auditors on vaccine procurement, and dedicated conclusions on vaccination.
Another legislative file which will be continued in the next presidency is the proposed new rules on the blood, tissues and cells, for which there is still to be agreed on a Council compromise text.
COVID-19 misinformation. Twitter has said that it will no longer enforce its COVID-19 misinformation policy, writes CNN. The platform developed a set of rules in 2020 to prohibit “harmful misinformation” about coronavirus and vaccines against it. However, a note spotted on Twitter by users read that the policy would no longer be in force from November 23.
Please welcome…mpox. The World Health Organisation’s recommended new name for Monkeypox is “mpox.” They say that for one year they will use the two names as synonyms, while eventually phasing out “Monkeypox”. The name change has happened after a number of reports earlier this year of racist and stigmatising language.
Heatwaves. More than 20,000 people died across western Europe in this summer’s heatwaves, in temperatures that would have been virtually impossible without climate breakdown, figures show. Reported by EURACTIV’s media partner, The Guardian.
UK doctor shortages. Brexit has compounded a shortage of doctors in Britain, with an estimated shortfall of 4,000 in major speciality areas from EU countries, a study published Sunday (27 November) said.
Animal testing. The transition toward animal-free science in Europe will not end in revising the EU’s framework for chemicals as it needs more long-term planning, an industry expert told EURACTIV in an interview.
Chinese protests. People in the Chinese manufacturing hub of Guangzhou clashed with white hazmat-suited riot police on Tuesday night (29 November), videos on social media showed.
This followed news from Monday (28 November), that China posted another record high of COVID-19 infections after an extraordinary weekend of protests across the country over restrictive coronavirus curbs, in scenes unprecedented since President Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago.
Biotech. Ensuring technology transfer from laboratory activities to patients in hospitals is a crucial next step for Europe’s flourishing biotech sector, according to health experts and stakeholders.
Private sperm donation. A 54-year-old Danish man has been donating fresh semen to women across Denmark, primarily aiding lesbian couples wanting a child. This has resulted in a fine of 25,000 Danish kroner (approximately €3,360) after being dragged to court by the Danish Patient Safety Authority, wrote Danish media TV2.
The Authority became aware of his donations following a TV documentary in which the man explained how he donated the sperm. They argued that he was acting in violation of the law governing quality and safety in handling human tissue and cells.
While the man admitted his donations, his lawyer denied that the man was breaking any laws, because he did not distribute the semen as defined in the law. He also has not charged the women money for the sperm and maintains a ‘personal relation’ to the women and the children. According to Danish law, sperm donors connected to a sperm bank can donate to a maximum of 12 families. There are no such limits for ‘private donors.’
ROME
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VALLETTA
Abortion will remain illegal in Malta, penalties will apply says PM. Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela confirmed that abortion will remain illegal in Malta and anyone found abusing new legislation designed to allow pregnant mothers to be treated even if such treatment could result in a termination, will face legal consequences. By Alice Taylor | EURACTIV.com
PARIS
French bronchiolitis crisis highlights staff shortages. A bronchiolitis epidemic impacting infants and children is ripping through France, putting increased strain on the overburdened and understaffed health sector. By Théo Bourgery-Gonse | EURACTIV.fr
30 November | #healthtoo – Nursing and Midwifery Global Community of Practice.
1 December | World AIDS Day
5 December | EPHA 2022 Universal Access and Affordable Medicines Forum
7 December |The European Care Strategy: challenges and the way forward
[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]
