Peter Agius addresses Health Summit in Brussels:  ‘We need more EU action to address health inequality in Europe’

MEP Peter Agius addressed the European Health Summit organised by The Parliament in Brussels yesterday. Agius, a member of the European Parliament Health Committee focused his intervention on the need for more coordinated EU action to address healthcare disparities across the European Union. 

‘I come from Malta where we have excellent healthcare for the more prevalent forms of cancer like breast cancer but, unfortunately, we have double mortality rates for rarer cancers where it is difficult to secure the best technologies and expertise for a small population. This is where I want Europe to make a difference. We must make better use of cross-border healthcare assistance and EU funding for research to make sure that EU policy reaches Maltese patients when they really need it,’ said MEP Peter Agius in his intervention. 

The European Health Summit brings policymakers, industry leaders, and experts around the most pressing challenges in health and social care. MEP Peter Agius participated in a session dedicated to Cardiovascular Health which will now be subject to a new EU Plan for Cardiovascular Health to be launched by end of this year. 

Heart diseases are the first cause of mortality in Malta and in Europe with 1,230 deaths in Malta in 2022 alone representing 29.5% of total deaths attributed to heart and circulatory problems.

In his address to the Health Summit, Dr Peter Agius highlighted how the European Union can deliver added value to the good work being done at Member States level by linking the different policy decisions with a common purpose leading to healthier lifestyles. 

‘One in three Europeans dies of heart disease. We must address the root causes of most of cardiovascular complications: food and lifestyle. It is sad to see that we are still far away from the EU’s declared targets of reducing tobacco and alcohol consumption. We are still far away from triggering significant lifestyle changes to reduce obesity and diabetes which remain significant contributing factors to heart disease,’ said MEP Peter Agius 

MEP Peter Agius pledged that in his role as MEP in the Health Committee he will push for a Union strategy that privileges concrete actions delivering concrete improvement in our hospitals and our communities coupled by serious financial investments in the upcoming MFF EU budget.