MEPs lead urgent plea to prevent health crisis in Europe

For the first time, nine Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) 65 leading trade unions, civil society organizations, health organizations and industry associations have united in an open letter calling on European leaders to stop cutting essential health and welfare systems and focus on ordinary people living in Europe coping with the dire impact of a financial crisis of which they are the first victims.

The toll on physical and mental health is becoming unbearable, and health systems are at breaking point. The coalition is led by the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), whose recent briefing note summarizes the evidence of the devastating impact of the financial crisis on human health. The evidence in rising suicides, mental health problems, rates of infectious disease are warning signs that current policies are hurtling Europe in a dangerous direction.

For millions of people living in Europe, these last few years have been devastating in a way few had imagined Europe would face again. Rising levels of unemployment, high levels of household debt and cuts to public services have left many people desperate and in need of support. The current indiscriminate cuts to social support and health care not only threaten the fundamentals right of access to care, it also undermines the core values at the heart of the European vision and the functioning of our democracies.