Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1263074
13 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 24 JUNE 2020 OPINION Stella Kyriakides Stella Kyriakides is the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety EVERY day over the past several months, thousands of headlines have been showing the latest fig- ures on the coronavirus. These figures have been growing at such a rate that no one could put in doubt the seriousness of the situation. While numbers tell a story words can't, we should never forget that behind them are people, each with their own unique story. We will never forget the fear, anxiety, pain and sorrow that European cit- izens have gone through over these past months - our chil- dren, our elderly, our health- care workers, families, friends, neighbours. The coronavirus crisis has left no one unaffect- ed. COVID-19 has challenged us globally like no other public health crisis in recent memo- ry. In less than 6 months, this virus has put into sharp focus the impact that health has on our lives, our economies, our societies - on almost every fac- et of our daily lives. While we are still in the middle of a pan- demic, we are slowly starting to lift our heads and look for- ward - towards the new normal awaiting us. But with challenges, even the most difficult ones, come op- portunities. As it has always done in the past, Europe will draw the lessons from this cri- sis. If this ever happens again, it should happen differently – we should be better prepared. Never again do we want to see our health care workers hav- ing to choose which patient receives lifesaving equipment. We do not again wish to see Member States closing borders and preventing others from having access to crucial medi- cines or protective equipment. We do not want to see regions or countries overburdened and not being able to appropriately care for everyone in need and on the other side of the bor- der have hospital beds stand- ing empty. Our citizens expect more from Europe – and right- ly so. It is a call we have heard loud and clear. Our response is the new EU- 4Health Programme, which opens a new chapter for EU health policy. With EU4Health, we will ensure that we are bet- ter prepared in the future to protect Europeans in case of health crises and improve care for Europe's citizens. This is the most ambitious health pro- gramme the EU has ever had, with a 2000% increase in finan- cial resources and a clear ambi- tion to make health one of EU's top priorities. This is the EU being bold, ambitious and looking beyond COVID-19. The figures - €9.4 billion - speak for themselves. If the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it is that the time has come for a fun- damental paradigm shift in the way we see and invest in health. For the first time, the EU will be able to build reserves of medical supplies and health- care staff - including flying doc- tors - that can be deployed in times of crisis and where such resources are most needed. With EU4Health, we will aim to have, at all times, the nec- essary protective equipment, medicines and medical devices available, and ensure that they are affordable and innovative. But whilst COVID-19 has taught us that Europe needs to give a higher priority to health and to be able to respond bet- ter to epidemics and unfore- seen health threats, this new programme is not just a re- sponse to the pandemic. EU- 4Health will also help deliver Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, a new and ambitious Pharma- ceutical Strategy for Europe to ensure affordable medicines for all, improve the conditions for patients with rare diseases, for persons with mental health issues, and tackle the challeng- es associated with vaccination and antimicrobial resistance. This pandemic has shown that once a health crisis hits our shores, working alone works against our own interests. Soli- darity saves lives. Health is, and will remain, a Member State competence. But our citizens want the EU to play a leading role. And it will. EU4HEALTH: We need more Europe in the area of health If the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it is that the time has come for a fundamental paradigm shift in the way we see and invest in health