DG SANCO established the EU Health Forum in November 2001 as an information and consultation mechanism involving stakeholders in the health field, which aims to ensure that the EC’s Health Strategy is transparent and responds to the public concerns.
It is composed of three complementary elements:
– a European Health Policy Forum which will have a structured approach with input on development of health policy. The agenda, minutes and presentations of each meeting of the EHPF can be downloaded from the Commission’s website. There are approximately 45 permanent members of the Health Policy Forum, representing public health NGOs, patients, healthcare professionals, providers, trade unions, industry and health insurers. The Forum meets every 6 months and membership of the Policy Forum is being reviewed in 2005.
In 2002/2003 the Health Policy Forum adopted three Recommendations: Health and enlargement, Health and social policy and Mobility of health professionals.
Three working groups have been established to develop Recommendations, these are on Services of General Interest (co-ordinated by the PGEU and EPSU), Health Information (co-ordinated by EHMA and EPHA). The draft documents were discussed at the 11 March 2005 meeting of the EHPF and will be adopted via a written procedure. The resulting documents were discussed at the October 2004 meeting of the Policy Forum.
– an Open Forum for general discussions on orientation of health policy. The First Open Forum was held on 17 May 2004 in Brussels with the theme of ‘Health in an Enlarged Europe’. The Health Policy Forum members have been invited to join a steering committee for the Open Forum and provide ideas and suggestions to the Commission.
– a Virtual Forum for information on health forum and health policy activities. The virtual forum has full details about the Policy Forum, including lists of members, agendas and minutes of all meetings, copies of presentations made and the Recommendations adopted by the Policy Forum.