:: Health protection and promotion
The Council of Europe aims to develop an ethical European health policy, by:
::. Conferences of European Health Ministers
Europe’s Health Ministers meet regularly to create policies to meet the new challenges in health care. Their 7th Conference, which took place in June 2003 in Oslo, Norway, addressed the issues of “Health, Dignity and Human Rights - the Role and Responsibility of Health Ministers”. The Slovak Republic will host the 8th Conference in 2007.
::. Health care services: a social cohesion perspective
The Council of Europe has recently adopted two Recommendations. The first, Recommendation (2003) 24, addresses the sensitive ethical issue of treatment for the terminally ill and calls for palliative care as an integral part of the health care system and an inalienable element of a citizen’s rights. Recommendation (2004) 17 “the impact of information technologies on health care – the patient and Internet” emphasises the role of the internet as a new source of information for the patient, and in this context recommends a number of firm measures to be undertaken by governments.
::. Health education for young people
The Council of Europe joined forces with the European Commission and the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe in 1991/1992 to set up the European Network of Health-Promoting Schools. Initially launched as a pilot project in four central and eastern European countries, the network now involves more than 40 nations, with over 500 participant schools and 400 000 students. They promote a healthy lifestyle for the school population by building partnerships and encouraging teachers, pupils, parents and the wider community to work together to improve overall health.
::. Blood transfusion: safety and ethics
Voluntary unpaid blood donations and the safety and improvement of haemotherapy are the Council’s guiding principles to harmonise blood transfusion practices. The 11th edition of the Guide on the preparation, use and quality assurance of blood components has just been issued. The Guide is updated annually and is now a worldwide reference source.
::. Organ transplants: saving lives
The Council of Europe has set out the ethical principles governing organ transplants and has just published the 2nd edition of the Guide to safety and quality assurance for organs, tissues and cells. It has also published guidelines on the ethical and social implications of xenotransplantation - the use of living organs and tissues from animals for human transplants. Recommendation (2004) 7 gives guidance to member states on the appropriate organisational and legal measures to minimise the risk of organ trafficking. The Recommendation highlights the public health risks associated with organ trafficking and offers proposals for maintaining public trust in the transplant system.
::. Pharmacopoeia: a world leader
The European Pharmacopoeia sets out common compulsory standards (monographs) to guarantee the quality of medicines in all member states. The European Pharmacopoeia promotes uniform analytical methods and elaborates standards for all substances used in human and veterinary medicines. Today, 70% of active substances commonly used in medicine are described in the European Pharmacopoeia. National standards are being co-ordinated and there are now over 1,850 compulsory European standards for new medicines.
The work is carried out under a convention ratified by the European Union and 34 member states. However, the Pharmacopoeia’s influence extends far beyond the frontiers of Europe; many other countries refer to its standards in their national legislation.
The European Pharmacopoeia (5th Edition) has been mandatory since 1 January 2005. It is available in printed form, as a CD-ROM and online. Updates are issued three times a year, in printed supplements.
::. The Pompidou Group: co-operation in tackling drug problems
The Pompidou Group is a multidisciplinary forum for ministerial co-operation to combat drug abuse and trafficking. The Group has 34 member states at present. It co-operates closely with the new democracies in the fight against drugs through seminars, exchanges and a training programme for drug care workers.
The Group’s Health Ministers meet every three years to review its work and set new requirements. Current priorities include preventing drug abuse, reintegrating addicts and drug users into society, the operation of the criminal justice system, promoting training and research, particularly into the social cost of drug abuse, and ethical issues.
The Council is also co-operating with Mediterranean countries to establish a network of epidemiology experts.
::. Consumer health protection
The Council of Europe aims to improve consumer health protection with a new approach towards nutrition and safety. It has already been instrumental in drafting national legislation and European Union directives to harmonise laws and practices governing the quality and safety of products affecting the human food chain, as well as in the areas of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
