Projects

: 01 February 2021

Patients' Rights

Protecting the value of vaccination during -and after-the COVID-19 pandemic across Europe:
impact, experiences and perspectives from citizens’ and patients’ advocacy groups & relevant stakeholders

SUMMARY
Active Citizenship Network (ACN), it's launching a project, to be realized most in online modality, focused to better contribute – starting from a citizens’ and healthcare stakeholders’ perspective - on understanding the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the national immunization plans and to supporting the COVID-19 vaccination landscape, without forgot the routine immunization schedules and its gains.

Our work on improving vaccination rates follows the Commission’s health priorities stated in the EU4Health 2021-2027 (as well as the fight against cancer and reducing the number of antimicrobial-resistant infections).

FRAMEWORK
Our commitment, as a European network, is to engage citizens and citizens’ associations across Europe to better know and implement vaccination policies. We believe it is even more important, in this historical moment, to work to build a proper vaccine culture in particular to overcome the idea that vaccination is only needed at early ages, and to shift to a life-course vaccination approach and to a harmonized “for-life calendar” at the EU level. The routine immunization schedule has to be known, valued, spread and used in the interests of individuals and the community improving the collaboration and dialogue with all the health-relevant stakeholders and institutions, enhancing a more effective engagement of the civil society. The current pandemic is placing a huge strain on health systems, worldwide it forced to adapt and sometimes innovate in care management: what are the lessons learned for the VACCINATION systems?

Are the new immunization plans ready to address the new health context? What are the best practices implemented to date? What are the recommendations to make for the update of national immunization plans in particular to face the new vaccine? what are the contribution and the experience in the field of the various actors in the health sector (GPs, paediatricians, community pharmacists, nurses etc.) in meeting the needs of citizens to ensure the vaccination plans adherence? What is the contribution of citizens’ and patients’ advocacy groups?

ACTIVITIES

SURVEYS

EU online survey (June 2021) “first period of the COVID-19 VACCINE campaign:”: “SUGGESTING” (Click here the results)
II EU online survey (second half of 2021) “DURING COVID-19 VACCINATION Campaign: Addressing the challenges of concomitant deployment of COVID-19 and influenza vaccination" (Here the results)

With the contribution of an expert committee - and taking into considerations the EU Commission’s key steps for effective vaccination strategies and vaccines deployment - the online questionnaires addressed to the PAGs (Patients Advocacy Groups) and citizens’ organization + national and international healthcare experts + representatives of national institutions dealing with vaccination will explore what has been done e what should be done in their national immunization plans - based on their experiences and on the information that they received, always protecting routine immunization schedules and its gains.

Why surveys? To listen directly from expert citizens and patients’ associations and national and EU vaccine stakeholders, about the needs and difficulties (or good practices) experienced and to intercept any problems and phenomena that still didn’t emerge, on which there is not enough attention in the public debate.

TAKE ACTION: If you would like to be involved, please write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

EU WEBINARS: one after each survey:

After having collected info on the impact of Covid-19 vaccine arrive on the re-organization of national immunization plans there will be some reflection moments: a confrontation between the involved stakeholders to understand if there are common aspects observed, good and bad practices, find proposals.

Why webinars? The aim is to socialize about the common elements or specificities that the impact of Covid-19 vaccine arrive has had on the immunization plans in order to build a broad picture of this challenging moment in different countries. Moreover, to identify, thanks to the discussion and to the online questionnaire compiled, the main issues and recommendations that emerged from the information gathered.

Eu Social Campaign on the Value of immunization

A communication campaign co-created with the direct involvement of associations and experts, most of them already engaged in the previous initiatives above described.

It will be focused on the positive, emotional values of immunizations. Continuing to send a unified, clear, and strong message on the importance of vaccination directly from citizens to citizens.

STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE PROJECT