Two years after the deadline for transposing the directive 2011/24/EU on patients' rights in cross-border healthcare that granted the fundamental right to receive healthcare services across the EEA and the right of patients to receive reimbursement from their state system, the European Committee of the Regions has organised a public hearing on the implementation so far of the directive and its shortcomings.
As Interim Chair of the NAT commission, SNP East Renfrewshire
Councillor Tony Buchanan moderated the policy debate and shared the Scottish perspective on the implementation of the directive. The event comprised of keynote speeches providing initial assessment of the situation given by CoR rapporteur on Cross-border healthcare, Mr. Karsten Petersen, the DG SANTE representative, Mr. Aurelian Perez, and the president of Health First Europe and former MEP rapporteur on this topic, Mr. John Bowis. It was followed by the regional experiences and views and finally, by the views from the outside.
The debate focused on how the process can be taken forward with a view to realising the directive's full potential for the benefit of all European patients considering accessing care abroad, identifying as main issues to be looked at the patients' awareness concerning their rights, the national contact points and the prior authorization system.
