The EPSCO Council of Health Ministers took place on 14 June 2022 in Luxemburg. On behalf of Hungary, Dr. Péter Takács Secretary of State for Health attended the meeting.
Péter Takács confirmed that Hungary continues to guarantee the necessary humanitarian and health assistance for the victims of the war. In addition to institutions specialized in HIV/AIDS, TBC, oncology, further hospitals have been designated to provide care for refugees. The healthcare system pays special attention to protection of women, mothers and children - they are entitled to wide ranging healthcare services corresponding to their conditions and age.
The ministers held policy debate on the recently proposed regulation on European Health Data Space. As a preliminary position, Hungary indicated readiness to create a common European Framework which leads to a more efficient functioning of health systems.
The Council had an overview of the state of play of joint Covid-19 vaccine procurement bearing in mind that many Member States face surplus challenges. Due to carefully planned procurement policy, Hungary is less affected by this problem, nevertheless we also find it crucial that sufficient shelf-life is guaranteed after the delivery of vaccines.
The European Commission informed the Member States on the implementation of medical devices regulation and Péter Takács called for the necessary legislative and non-legislative measures to ensure safe supply of medical devices.
In the framework of the debate on the EU’s future global health strategy the Hungarian delegation named climate change, zoonotic diseases as priority issued and highlighted the importance of strengthening the leading role of the World Health Organization.
