WONCA Europe (WE) president Dr Shlomo Vinker, WE president-elect Dr Thomas Frese, Hungarian Family doctor Dr Ábel Perjes, and WE Working Party on Policy and Advocacy executive members Dr Raquel Gómez Bravo and Dr Marina Guisado held a virtual meeting last April with Dr Katalin Cseh, gynaecologist, who is one of the Hungarian members of the European Parliament.
WE was introduced, highlighting its presence in 50 countries and the representation in the European Region, recognizing its importance and the challenges that we are facing, mentioning the WE statement.
WE representatives acknowledged the European Commission's attention to primary care, as demonstrated by the recognition of its importance in Europe during the Stakeholders on Public Health in 2023 and the European Union (EU) Workforce conference in January 2024. In addition, they raised awareness of the importance of primary care and its key role in reducing morbimortality in the population, accessibility, longitudinally, care to vulnerable populations, etc.
Dr. Katalin Cseh introduced herself and her background as gynaecologist with a deep understanding of the healthcare system. She shared her concerns about the poor regulations, lack of resources and poor working conditions. She underlined the great need for advocacy for health and regulations in the EU.
WE representatives mentioned the importance of bringing Primary Care to the EU Parliament, in particular due to the fact that the last European Commission report on primary care was in 2018 and considerable changes have occurred since. Initiating a conversation on primary care across the EU is needed if we wish to guarantee the benefits of primary care.
The main conclusion was that it is essential to go forward and plan a face-to-face meeting in Brussels this autumn.