Text tabled : A7-0307/2010

  Małgorzata Handzlik (PPE), in writing. – (PL) The directive on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare is a key step towards abolishing the barriers which patients have encountered in the EU Member States to date. Its primary goal is to make it easier for Europeans to access healthcare in other EU Member States and, in particular, to access services which are not readily available in their own country. This is particularly good news for those who live in cross-border areas and, above all, for individuals suffering from rare diseases who need specialist treatment which is not available in their own country. I am also pleased to see a number of provisions which ensure certain benefits for patients, such as the mutual recognition of prescriptions, the removal of the need for additional insurance abroad and access to medical records. The idea of creating national contact points, with the task of informing patients about their rights, is also key.

Patients should be comprehensively informed about the procedures for accessing treatment abroad. They should be similarly informed about the procedures for obtaining reimbursements for the costs of such treatment, which will be reimbursed according to the current costs in the country in which the patient is insured. I believe that the solutions which have been found will make it easier for patients to access safe, high quality medical care throughout the European Union.