Médecins du Monde calls on European bodies and governments to provide access to healthcare for the most vulnerable people.
The crisis in Europe has serious consequences on access to healthcare, as many people can no longer receive proper treatment. Pregnant women and children are the most affected.
It is in an attempt to remedy this that Médecins du Monde (MDM) published a report “on access to care for the most precarious in a Europe in crisis”. The study presents data collected in 2013 from 16,881 patients seen in 25 cities in 8 countries (Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Greece, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Switzerland).
MDM intends to use the European elections in two weeks to ask governments and European institutions to guarantee universal, united and responsible national health systems for everyone living in the Union.
Provide access to healthcare for all
According to Médecins du Monde, the economic crisis and the austerity measures taken by governments are having adverse effects on the health of populations, groups already weakened before the crisis experiencing a reduction or even a deprivation of security elements and networks that provided basic assistance.
Women and children are more victims of the impacts of the crisis, whereas they should benefit from additional specific protection due to their greater vulnerability.
In many countries, women without health coverage have to pay for prenatal and childbirth care themselves and too many children no longer have access to preventive care, such as immunization. Only 1 in 2 minors, at best, are vaccinated against tetanus, hepatitis B, measles or whooping cough.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) also carried out a report in Greece, where precariousness has serious consequences on access to healthcare. The NGO recalls that these injustices call into question the social base of solidarity in Europe and must be fought.
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