Principles
Health care in Europe, and the EU in particular, is developing ever further, including across borders. Citizens in their roles as insured persons, carers, border residents and patients must play a central role in this process. EPECS works with many parties in the EU, locally, regionally, nationally and in Brussels to strengthen the participation of citizens. The citizen must become an equal partner, not only with regard to his own health but also with regard to his structural contribution to the policy to be developed of health and sustainable health care.
The EPECS foundation applies the following common principles:
We consider citizens in general, not only in border regions, to be empowered citizens, who, especially when they become patients, also act independently and on the basis of equal rights in their relationship with health insurance companies and health care providers (independent doctors, hospitals, etc.), and who are not seen by experts as an unmanageable "object" in their decisions.
In addition, there is a growing awareness among citizens that, as patients, they not only have obligations but also rights when it comes to caring for their health. As a result, the importance of the quality, transparency and accessibility of care at European level and, in particular, within the EU, is constantly increasing. Partly as a result of the availability of information via the Internet, an increasing number of patients are aware of the opportunities offered by European healthcare, for example for patients with a rare disease who are consulted by specialists from a healthcare institution in another EU country.
Particularly in the light of our experience in border regions, we want to work in the interests of the people of these regions to create more favourable conditions for cross-border and European-oriented care. In particular, we want to contribute to the development and improvement of the framework conditions for a European health system.
The aim of our activities is therefore, in particular, to be involved in political decision-making processes and measures at European level both as a foundation and to promote an increasing structural empowerment of citizens.
