When we are ill, we rely on being able to access experts who can help make us better. But what happens when there are not enough people with the expertise necessary to provide the care we need, when and where we need it?
The health workforce crisis is already widely recognised as a key challenge for Europe. The Belgian Presidency highlighted it in its conclusions on the Future of the Health Union earlier this year, whilst Hans Kluge, World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe recently observed that, “the whole region has a health workforce crisis.”
That crisis is already resulting in millions of patients across the European Union struggling to access the care that they need in a timely fashion. Healthcare systems are struggling to deal with a perfect storm of rising demand, an ageing population, and a workforce that is not expanding rapidly enough to keep pace. Forecasts suggest that the situation is only going to get worse.
András Kulja MEP was a practicing doctor in Hungary prior to his election in June for the Tisza Party. "As a doctor and a politician, I see firsthand the healthcare workforce crisis and the strain from low patient access to personalised treatment across the EU, including Hungary” says Kulja, who is now Vice-Chair of the ENVI Committee.
However, whilst this explosion of demand creates a significant challenge for European healthcare providers, it also provides an opportunity to leverage innovation to improve access and address unmet need.
Zoltan Jakab, Vice President of Central Eastern Europe for international pharmaceutical firm AbbVie, told The Parliament that advances in medicines and clinical approaches now make it possible to address rising demand without compromising on standards of care.
“I work across many EU countries and often see how low patient access to medicine can lead to worse health outcomes and, as a result, more demand and cost to the health system,” he explains. “It’s a false choice. Leveraging advances in medical innovation can reduce health system burdens, allow patients to return to the workforce earlier, and realise savings to the health system.”
The scale of the challenge facing European healthcare systems is already being keenly felt across many chronic conditions. The situation for those with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) is particularly stark.
Neil Betteridge is Senior Director of the European Alliance for Patient Access, which advocates for more patient-centred care. He told The Parliament that the increasing prevalence of many RMDs is already creating a profound impact both on individuals and for the wider European economy.
“Up to 50 in every 100,000 European citizens live with rheumatoid arthritis and many more with some form of spondylarthritis[1],” Betteridge explains. “If not treated optimally, these conditions have a profound impact, often leading to chronic pain, disability, and work loss - most people affected are of working age.”
The data supports Betteridge’s view that more people living longer with disability is an economic as well as a health issue. RMDs are the primary cause of disability in the European Union with some experts warning that up to half of member states’ working-age populations could be diagnosed with a chronic RMD disease by 2030.
Despite the devastating human and economic impact of these conditions, Professor Brygida Kwiatkowska, National Consultant in Rheumatology in Poland and advisor to the Ministry of Health, believes that low awareness results in patients often missing out on care.
“RMDs are often referred to as ‘invisible diseases,’ she tells The Parliament. “They have been very often ignored when setting political and financial priorities, despite being the second most common reason for consulting a doctor.”
However, new treatment options are opening up opportunities to reduce demand whilst also improving care outcomes for patients across a range of areas. For instance, Jakab explains that studies show that achieving remission in rheumatoid arthritis can reduce hospitalisations by 64%. Professor Kwiatkowska points to similar studies in Spain and Poland that have shown early interventions that focus on remission reduce costs and allow people to remain in the labour market for longer. She now believes that finding ways to open up access to emerging treatments should now be a priority across all Member States.
“Ignoring the measurement of remission value results in significant health deterioration, decreased quality of life, and even life expectancy reduction,” she explains. “Given today's medical advancements and the appropriate approach from relevant individuals and institutions, many patients need not suffer this fate.”
MEP Kulja shares this view. “Limited awareness and access to new treatments hinder progress,” he tells The Parliament, pledging that as Vice-Chair of ENVI, he will seek to champion policies that “modernise our healthcare systems” and “prioritise access to innovative treatments”, bringing both economic and health benefits. “Embracing medical innovation can significantly reduce hospitalisations, improve care outcomes, and enable patients to return to work earlier,” he adds.
Zoltan Jakab already sees signs that a shift is starting to happen. However, he cautions that providing patients with better access to new treatments requires a fundamental shift in how healthcare systems currently operate.
“We can aim higher with our treatment expectations, moving patients more quickly from less efficacious medicine and supporting access to innovation that will improve their outcomes quicker,” he says. “There is no reason why improving standards of care and addressing healthcare capacity can’t go together.”
AbbVie SA/NV – BE-ABBV-240114 (1.0) – September 2024