Arbetskraft inom hälso- och sjukvården: Regionala utmaningar och lösningar

- considers that a well-functioning healthcare system is an important factor in the EU’s societal resilience, as described in Sauli Niinistö’s report Safer together – Strengthening Europe’s civilian and military preparedness and readiness, thus, supporting health systems should be a priority within the EU preparedness agenda;

- notes that local and regional authorities are often responsible for healthcare as well as social care and other social services and therefore need to be involved in designing and implementing all strategies and plans relating to the EU workforce in these areas;

- calls for increased public investment in the healthcare workforce to ensure fair wages, good working conditions, and sustainable staffing levels. Differences between Member States contribute to the migration of healthcare workers, exacerbating regional inequalities;

- calls on the Member States to use data to identify medical deserts, make investments, and take measures to improve access to care in these areas;

- calls on the European Commission to continue the important health promotion efforts undertaken under the EU4Health programme 2021-2027, and stresses the importance of prevention in strengthening health, preventing illness, and improving mental health, thereby reducing the need for healthcare;

- is concerned about the European Court of Auditors’ conclusions that the EU’s system for recognising professional qualifications is ‘used sparsely and inconsistently’ and calls on the Commission to better monitor Member States’ compliance with the Directive, as proposed in the report;

- calls for a strong cohesion policy over the long term in order to increase the opportunities for all cities and regions to offer education and training to more people in the healthcare sector;

- calls for cooperation at EU level to be developed in order to support knowledge sharing between Member States on, for example, strategies, digital solutions, and developments leading to improved skills supply in the healthcare sector.