Darias: "Europe must make further progress on coordinated responses to health challenges"

Darias stressed the importance of Europe continuing to make progress in coordinated responses to health challenges, including solidarity vaccination and aid to the people of Ukraine.

She also stressed the need for a European Strategy for Rare Diseases to continue making progress in the diagnosis, research and treatment of these pathologies that affect some 30 million people throughout Europe and some three million people in Spain alone.

Foto: Unión EuropeaDarias, who took part in the meeting together with the regional minister of Castilla-La Mancha, Jesús Fernández, reviewed some of the progress made by Spain in this field, such as the expansion of the Spanish network of reference centres, services and networks (CSUR), with a total of 110, which are already present in the 24 existing European networks.

In the same vein, she highlighted the 56% increase in the number of orphan drugs financed by the National Health System in 2021 compared to 2019, and the Precision Medicine Infrastructure associated with Science and Technology (IMPaCT) programme developed by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII).

Response to the war in Ukraine and solidarity vaccinations

Among the main issues discussed at EPSCO, the health ministers addressed the response that the EU is offering to the health needs arising from the war in Ukraine; a conflict which, Darias pointed out, is having terrible consequences and to which the European Union is providing a coordinated response, also in the health field.

In this regard, she recalled that Spain has already provided the Ukrainian population with more than 5,500 hospital beds, of which 1,184 are paediatric, and 20 tonnes of humanitarian aid. Our country is also making regular weekly shipments of medicines, both from the Government's Strategic Stockpile and from the autonomous communities and cities, through the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

Coordinated by the Ministry for Health, through INGESA, this material is sent to Ukraine and neighbouring countries, in collaboration with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Ministry for Defence.

Among other actions, Darias also highlighted the setting up of centres to attend to people from Ukraine in Alicante, Madrid and Barcelona, the reception of paediatric oncology patients, the activation of the Health Action Guide, including an accelerated vaccination calendar, and the facilitation of the health card.

Finally, today's EPSCO made further progress on the EU Solidarity Vaccination Strategy against COVID-19. As the Minister for Health pointed out, Spain, "after having managed to vaccinate an entire country", has already donated more than 60 million vaccines to third countries, with the shared goal of reaching 70% of the entire planet before the end of 2022.

"We have many challenges, but we have a great commitment led by President Sánchez to continue contributing to vaccinate everyone," concluded Minister Darias.

Non official translation