The European Union has formally approved the new EU4Health 2021-2027 program, the largest health program in history that will provide funding to European member states, health organizations, and NGOs.
The regulation was published in the last Official Gazette and has a budget of 5,100 million euros. The new program provides an EU response to the COVID-19 crisis and aims to strengthen the resilience of health systems and promote innovation in the sector.
Among the principles points, the initiative aims to:
-Improve and promote health in the European Union to reduce the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, reduce health inequalities, promote healthy lifestyles and ensure access to healthcare.
-Protect European citizens from cross-border health threats, strengthening the response capacity of health systems and coordination between the Member States.
-Improve the availability and affordability of medicines, medical devices, and other crisis-relevant products and support innovation.
-Strengthen health systems and health personnel through integrated and coordinated work among member states, the continuous implementation of best practices, data exchange, digital transformation, and addressing the implications of demographic challenges.
The first work program for 2021 will be adopted shortly and implemented by the new European Executive Agency for Health and Digital.