By John F. Ryan, Acting Director Public Health Directorate
Reducing inequalities in health between different socio-economic groups and between different parts of the EU is one of the burning issues facing the European Union today. For the last 4 years, the public health directorate in SANCO has been coordinating the implementation of the EU strategy to address health inequalities ‘Solidarity in Health’.
On 11th December 2013, the Commission published the EU-funded report “Health Inequalities in the EU”
, produced by a consortium led by Sir Michael Marmot of University College, London. It summarises new evidence on health inequalities in the EU and assesses the effectiveness of policy responses.
The report discloses some important trends: The differences in inequalities in health between social groups across EU Member States are alarming. For example, life expectancy at age 25 for men with higher education in Estonia was 17.8 years longer, (or 50 % higher), than life expectancy for men only with primary education. However, not all news is bad. For example, the report confirmed the long term trends of reducing gaps in life expectancy between Member States and the decline in inequality in infant mortality.
There is still a huge amount to be done. The majority of EU Member States do not have integrated strategies to address health inequalities.
Sir Michael will present some of the findings of the report at the final conference of the Joint Action on health inequalities which will take place on 23 January in Brussels.
The conference will review 3 years work of Member States, regions and stakeholders to reduce health inequalities in Europe and consider next steps. It will be webstreamed in DE, EL, EN, ES, FR, and IT.
I hope you will be able to follow it either in person or by web.
The Commission will also host an event on improving access to health and combatting discrimination on 18th of March 2014 in Charlemagne conference centre. To register, please visit the website.
