On 27th April 2023, Cittadinanzattiva APS - through its EU branch Active Citizenship Network – organized, as a consortium partner of the AHEAD project, a conference at the European Parliament in Brussels titled “Addressing medical desertification in Europe: a call to action”.

The ultimate aim of the event was to present to the European Institutions recommendations and proposals, based on the analysis and research conducted in the project countries and co-developed with the national institutions, to address the phenomenon of medical desertification and to affirm and emphasise the commitment of the European institutions on an issue that is present in many countries.

The conference, kindly hosted by MEP Beatrice Covassi (S&D Group), was organized with the support of the MEPs Interest Group "European Patients' Rights & Cross-Border Healthcare".

PROGRAMME

Moderator: Mariam Zaidi – journalist

10:00 – 10:15 Opening remarks

• Beatrice Covassi, Member of the European Parliament - Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Italy

• Anna Lisa Mandorino, Secretary General - Cittadinanzattiva APS

10:15 – 10:25 Setting the scene: the AHEAD Project

• Aysel Rahimli, Project Coordinator AHEAD and Pillars of Health – Wemos

10:25 – 11:25 Roundtable discussion

• Katarzyna Ptak-Bufkens, Policy Officer - Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (SANTE), European Commission

• Marina Royo de Blas, Programme Assistant, Long-term vision for EU rural areas - Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI), European Commission

• Tomas Zapata, Unit Head, Health Workforce and Service Delivery - WHO European Regional Office (video message)

• Dorota Tomalak, Deputy Head of Unit, Secretariat-General of the European Committee of the Regions

• John Wynn-Jones, Past President - European Rural and Isolated Practitioners Association (EURIPA)

• Paolo Michelutti, Coordinator - Joint Action HEROES (HEalth woRkfOrce to meet health challEngeS)

11:25 – 11:45 Interventions from the floor

11:45 - 11:55 Final remarks

• Corinne Hinlopen, Health Advocate & Project Lead AHEAD and Pillars of Health - Wem

Click here to download the speakers’ biographies

Click here to see the video-recording of the conference

Watch the video interviews realized by the journalist Mariam Zaidi on the occasion of the event

Click here to read the press release

Click here to watch the photo gallery on Active Citizenship Network’s FB page.

Click here to read the concept note of the event

To know more about the EU Project AHEAD, click here (EN – IT)

To know more about the Italian “Strategy for Inner Areas” clickhere.