Verbatim report of proceedings

Thursday, 11 February 2010 - Strasbourg

Framework Agreement on prevention from sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector (debate)

  Georgios Papanikolaou (PPE). – (EL) Mr President, I take the floor today to thank all the rapporteurs and everyone who brought about this debate.

Sometimes we say that Europe needs to get closer to its citizens. With this debate, we have certainly managed to do so. I was talking to a friend of my own age, a newly-qualified doctor, and when I told him about this debate, he said to me, with a great deal of pleasure, that this was absolutely crucial and that we should try and explain exactly what we were doing to everybody in Europe. It is important to prevent and to inform those working in hospitals about the risks they run. It is indeed crucial that we explain to everybody that, when they work such long hours, when spaces are sometimes confined, when patient numbers are very high, it is crucial for these people to be able to take, at the very least, the most important measures needed.

We need healthy staff in hospitals so that we, as patients – at some point – can benefit from their care and the best possible treatment.