The European Parliament’s COVI committee published its draft report on “COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and recommendations for the future”.

ECDA welcomes the report, which reflects on ways to ensure EU’s better preparedness for future crises and to strengthen health systems, giving particular consideration to the field of chronic diseases. Indeed the report captures the impact of the pandemic for patients with chronic diseases and introduces recommendations to improve health promotion and disease prevention in Europe as well as patients’ care.

ECDA particularly welcomes the acknowledgement of the pandemic’s significant impact on chronic disease patients due to their vulnerability to developing severe health complications, higher hospitalisation and mortality rates, and challenges linked with delays and disruptions in care – in a dedicated section.

Collateral damage is expected to arise in the years to come, alongside long COVID and increased prevalence of chronic diseases, which will have important consequences for healthcare systems, if no changes are operated now – including greater investment in disease prevention, early detection and management. As outlined by the World Health Organisation, preventing and treating chronic diseases has benefits far beyond health – notably for economic growth.

Facilitating the collection of comparable data for chronic diseases in the EU with an integrated data collection system that would be synergistic with data collection related to health threats and infectious diseases and that would cover health economic data related to the diseases will be critical. 

Picture: European Parliament COVI website.