October 24, 2016

7th IPOPI PID Forum – PID Care disparities in the European Union

IPOPI held its 7th PID Forum on Tackling PID healthcare disparities in the European Union at the European Parliament in Brussels on October 12, 2016. The meeting was chaired by Members of the European Parliament Dr Anna Záborská (EPP, Slovakia), Dr Elena Gentile (S&D, Italy) and Ms Karin Kadenbach (S&D, Austria).

The forum was very successful and aimed at developing a more comprehensive view of the PID care across the EU to reinforce the need to commonly implement the Primary Immunodeficiencies Principles of Care across all countries.
Participants discussed the current challenges the new and old EU Member States face from both the patients’ and physicians’ perspective. The meeting placed a specific emphasis on the importance of early and accurate diagnosis, the possibility of choosing between different treatment options, and the screening programmes and projects for Severe Combined Immunodeficiencies (SCID) taking place in several European countries.

Participants at the European Parliament

MEP Zaborska, Mrs Drabwell and MEP Gentile

Supporting MEPs, IPOPI representatives and speakers at the meetings.

The conference provided options to improve the treatment for PIDs across the EU, achieved by bringing together patients, healthcare professionals, patient organisations and representatives from the European Parliament.
Participants exchanged information and best practices from both Western and Eastern Europe discussing the challenges faced by the new and old EU Member States. Collaboration between patient organisations, the European Institutions and healthcare professional was a central part of the discussion. The Forum was organised with the support of CSL Behring and Shire.