LEAVE NO ONE’S HEALTH BEHIND

Universal healthcare - also called universal health coverage (UHC), universal coverage, or universal care - means that individuals and communities have access to  health services, when and where they need them, without having to suffer financial hardship. UHC covers the full spectrum of essential, quality health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care across the life course.

On 12 December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed a Resolution urging countries to accelerate progress toward UHC as an essential priority for international development. Since then, on UHC Day, every 12 December, advocates worldwide mobilise to call for strong, equitable health systems that leave no one behind. UHC is an essential component of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDG). UHC has an impact not only on SDG 3 (Good health and Well-Being) but also on SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), on SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and on SDG 1 (No Poverty). Addressing UHC creates opportunities for social cohesion as it protects citizens from the financial risks of being pushed into poverty as they suffer from serious illnesses and thus allows for reduced inequalities across gender and socio-economic categories. To cover these wide ranges of impact, a multistakeholder action and commitment is required as efforts from the health sector by itself will not be sufficient. 

UHC is a broad concept that has been implemented in Europe in several, different ways; the common denominator is some form of government action aimed at extending access to healthcare as widely as possible and setting minimum standards. Most countries in the WHO Europe region offer universal population coverage but there are still many people who need to pay for essential health services out-of-pocket. WHO Europe is involved on the topic of UHC through five areas: 

1. Support MS efforts to put people at the centre of services
2. Support MS efforts to ensure and enhance financial protection
3. Support MS efforts to face post-COVID-19 recovery health workforce challenges
4. Support MS efforts to ensure access for all medicines, vaccines and health products
5. Support MS efforts to improve governance and stewardship

 Strengthening health systems to ensure universal access to affordable and quality care is a key priority for the diabetes community. The recent COVID-19 pandemic revealed deep inequalities in access to healthcare across Europe and out-of-pocket spending for diabetes medicines, supplies and technologies is still prevalent in several European countries. 

There is an urgent need to ensure sustainable access to quality diabetes care for everyone everywhere. On UHC Day, we are reminded that it is time to improve the regulatory framework in the field of health coverage in order to increase the availability of diabetes care. We need to create patient-centred healthcare systems that protect people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes, older people and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

IDF EUROPE NEWS, ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

IDF Europe’s Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM) Meeting

Once again, the IDF Europe TEAM Meeting was held virtually on 14 December 2021, as a result of the COVID situation across many European countries. Prof Nebojsa Lalic, IDF Europe Chair-Elect and moderator of the session, together with Maurizio Guidi, Corporate Affairs and External Engagement Leader, awarded the IDF Europe Long-standing Achievement Prize, supported by Lilly Diabetes, to Associação Protectora dos Diabéticos de Portugal (APDP) in memory of Alojz Rudolf. Dr Tadej Battelino from the Slovenian association then proceeded to give a memorial lecture in honour of  Alojz Rudolf. After a summary by Elisabeth Dupont, IDF Europe’s Regional Manager, of the 2021 activities, agenda and publications, Sabine Dupont, Senior Consultant Policy and Projects, presented the priority programmes for 2022, including the European Diabetes Code, an empowerment tool for PwD; a social media campaign aiming to tackle the misconceptions, stigma and discrimination associated with diabetes; and a twinning programme which will allow Member Associations to strengthen their capacity by exchanging expertise and information. The meeting was an opportunity for Member Associations to get up to date with, and provide feedback and input on, the new initiatives that will be held in 2022. 

All Member Associations are welcome to join the information webinar on the twinning programme on January 20 at 12.00 CET. Stay Tuned!

Click here to watch Dr. Tadej Battelino’s memorial lecture in honour of Alojz Rudolf

IDF Europe Prizes

The IDF Europe Centenary of Insulin Innovation Prize

Do not miss the chance to apply to the IDF Europe Centenary of Insulin Innovation Prize

Are you an individual, community-based or not-for-profit organisation or a start-up based in Europe that has come up with innovative actions to support people living with diabetes and/or the diabetes community?

Do not miss the chance to apply for the IDF Centenary of Insulin Innovation prize, awarded in partnership with Lilly Diabetes, and to showcase your work to the world diabetes community! The deadline to apply has been extended until December 31, 2021!

Learn more and apply here

IDF Europe Prize in Diabetes 2021 - Long-Standing Achievement Award

IDF Europe is delighted to announce that Associação Protectora dos Diabéticos de Portugal (APDP), the Portuguese Diabetes Association, is the 2021 IDF Europe Long-standing Achievement Prize winner! The Prize is a recognition of APDP’s untiring work, dedication, and excellence in improving the lives of people with diabetes and those at risk. 

APDP is the world’s oldest diabetes association, with more than 95 years of continuous work in the field. It was founded in 1926 by Dr Ernesto Roma to give insulin to those who could not afford it, which makes receiving this award on the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, even more precious.

APDP President, Dr Jose Boavida, stated in response to winning the prize “We are honoured and glad to receive the Long-standing Achievement Prize which gives international recognition to our ongoing commitment to improving the lives of PwD in Portugal, Europe and beyond. We are grateful to IDF Europe with which we have built a strong and supporting partnership”.

Click here to learn more about APDP work and past winner!

LET’S ACT TOGETHER - IDF Europe- Novo Nordisk European Diabetes Patient Advocacy Summit Series

For the fourth edition of the European Diabetes Patient Advocacy Summit, IDF Europe and Novo Nordisk joined forces to explore how to advocate towards different stakeholder groups to get diabetes (back) on the agenda post COVID-19.

On the theme of ‘Let’s act together,’ this Summit Series consists of two winter webinars in 2021 and a two-day face-to-face summit to be held in the spring of 2022.The first webinar was held on December 2, 2021. The objective was to discuss how to put diabetes back as a priority on the public healthcare agenda.

Click here to read the report of the event.

Are you living with Type 2 diabetes? We would love to hear from you!

Are you living with T2D and based in Europe? You welcome advice but believe that you should have the final say because you are the one who knows best about your needs, wishes and hopes? You don’t want diabetes to take over your life but you want to make sure that everything is done to improve your care and quality of life? 

We would love to hear from you! And to invite you to provide testimonials, participate in the establishment of a platform of people living with T2D and/or participate as a patient representative in EU-funded projects.

If you are interested, or know someone that may be, please contact Simona at simona.vitali@idf-europe.org!

NEWS FROM MEMBERS

To mark World Diabetes Day and the Centenary of Insulin, in the past months our Members Associations have been engaging in a broad range of activities such as podcast, concerts, exhibitions, webinars, newsletters. 

Visit our new website to learn more about the Centenary Activities across Europe!

NEWS FROM EUROPE

European Commission releases the 2021 edition of the State of Health in the EU’s Companion Report

WHO NEWS

WHO Europe conference on “Tackling non-communicable diseases through digital solutions”

WHO Europe together with the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation hosted a two-day hybrid conference on “Tackling non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through digital solutions” in Moscow, Russia. Multistakeholder discussions on innovative ways to use digital tools to tackle NCDs during COVID-19 times and beyond were being addressed.

IDF Europe shares priorities highlighted during the conference, calling for patient-centred, equitable and proactive digital health policies.  We also support the need to build trust through transparent decision-making processes and stringent data privacy frameworks.

Read more here.

WHO releases its 2021 global monitoring report on financial protection in health

The Health for All Film Festival

Since its first edition in 2020, the Health for All Film Festival aims to recruit a new generation of film and video innovators to champion global health issues, inviting independent film-makers, production companies, NGOs, communities, students, and film schools from around the world to submit their original short films about health. The festival's objective is to recruit a new generation of film and video innovators to champion and promote global health issues.

Each edition in 2020 and 2021 attracted an average of 1250 short film submissions - both amateur and professional - from 110 countries. In 2021, more than 40% of the short films featured themes related to COVID-19, revealing the pandemic's pervasive and universal consequences.

The 3rd call for short films is open until January, 30 2022. Learn how to submit your film here.

IDF EUROPE ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATION WORK

Healthier Together - The new EU NCD initiative

On 15 December 2021, European Commission DG SANTE organised a stakeholders’ webinar on the EU Non-Communicable Diseases Initiative – Healthier Together. IDF Europe took part in this first stakeholder consultation. We are delighted that the initiative is targeting diabetes as an individual NCD alongside cardiovascular, respiratory and mental and neurological diseases.

IDF Europe also welcomes the scope of the initiative, ranging from data collection and knowledge sharing, health promotion and disease prevention, screening and early detection, diagnosis and treatment up to improving quality of life.

Read the full statement here.

European health and consumer organisations call on European institutions to legislate on unhealthy marketing to children

Food marketing affects what children eat and ultimately, their health and well-being. Millions of children in Europe and worldwide are eating too much unhealthy food which has become a leading cause of death and disability. Eating healthily is a major component of optimal diabetes management and also contributes to lowering the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and other non-communicable diseases such as cardio-vascular diseases, renal diseases and cancer.

IDF Europe, alongside many other European health, medical, consumer, child and family organisations, calls for the European institutions to adopt legislation that would protect children from “the widespread, ubiquitous and insidious marketing of nutritionally poor food.”

Click here to learn more.

IDF Europe endorses Whole Grain Initiative on the inclusion of whole grains in the mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling

In November 2021, IDF Europe supported the Whole Grain Initiative and co-signed an open letter calling on the European Commission to ensure that whole grains are included into Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling (FOPNL) to be proposed as part of the Farm to Fork Strategy. 

For people living with Type 2 diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), FOPNL is an important policy tool to support healthy dietary choices and therefore, prevent and reduce premature mortality from NCDs. There is consistent evidence that regular consumption of whole grains (around three servings per day) is associated with a lower risk of developing NCDs such as Type 2 diabetes.

We hope that the future FOPNL empowers people, including those at risk or living with Type 2 diabetes and other NCDs, to easily identify healthier food choices and make informed decisions on nutritional characteristics of food products. This is key to addressing the immense burden of NCDs in Europe and beyond.

To download the full letter, please, click here.

IDF Europe’s Member Associations share messages to mark Universal Health Coverage day

Each year December 12 marks Universal Health Coverage day (UHC). This year’s theme was Leave No One’s Health Behind: Invest in health systems for all. To celebrate UHC and raise awareness about the imperative of Health for All, our Member Associations shared thematic messages on the role of governments and health systems to protect everyone, especially the most vulnerable in our society.

Our Member Associations highlighted the importance of UHC for people living with diabetes and other chronic conditions, multimorbidity, the elderly and people from lower socio-economic positions – the most vulnerable in our society. They also underlined that now is the time to build strong, equitable and resilient health systems through which everyone can avail themselves of care they need without relying on out-of-pocket expenses. 

Click here to read the messages from our Member Associations.

MMD ACTIVITIES

Universal Health Coverage day: messages from MEPs

In many parts of Europe, people living with diabetes still do not have access to the therapies, care, supplies, technologies or education they need to achieve the best possible health outcomes. In light of this, on UHC Day, some MEPs members of the interest group on Diabetes, MEPs Mobilising for Diabetes, stressed the need to strengthen effective, accessible, resilient and innovative health systems and suggested that receiving good quality, effective healthcare should become an EU requirement and compulsory for Member States (MS) to fulfil this goal. 

Clich here to read messages from MEPs.

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