The use of eHealth tools can contribute significantly towards improving the health and wellbeing of European citizens, Ireland's health minister James Reilly argues in our special eHealth week feature. Reilly says that eHealth "provides significant opportunities to stimulate economic growth, employment, innovation and research and development". Parliament's rapporteur on the health for growth programme Françoise Grossetête adds that, with low medical staffing levels in rural hospitals and decreasing numbers of practitioners in certain specialist areas, "these new technologies are opening the way for assistance to be available in the case of difficult diagnoses". The EPP deputy stresses that, "Even in their simplest forms... these new technologies offer incredible potential when addressing our current healthcare and budgetary challenges."