SPA Minutes
Strategic Pediatric Alliance for the Future Health of Children in Europe
Minutes of the Meeting held in Vienna on June 24, 2011 (9:00 a.m.)
Participants : Stefano del Torso, Zachi Grossman, Massimo Pettoello Mantovani, Alfred Tenore, Elke Jaeger-Roman, Errol Alden, Jochen Ehrich, Gottfried Huss, Ferenc Kadar, Simon Lenton, Michael Kravinkel, Laslo Szabo.
Participating organizations : EAP, ECPCP, EPA, AAP, IPA, FIMP , the Hungarian Paediatric Association , the Israeli Pediatric Association and with the support of the Turkish Pediatric Society
1) Welcome by Massimo Pettoello Mantovani and Stefano del Torso
2) Presentations by Stefano del Torso, Zachi Grossman, Jochen Ehrich and Alfred Tenore.
3) All participants agreed on forming an alliance among the European associations, American Academy of Pediatrics and National Associations and which in the future may include other organizations (pediatric subspecialists, General practitioners, nurses etc.) representing health care providers for children.
4) The objective of the “Alliance” would be to promote the build up of advocacy and political intervention and to take all necessary steps to ensure high quality health care delivery to children in Europe.
5) The participants agreed on the necessity of the process whereby the opinion of professional health care providers (Associations, SAFP) will be brought before administrators, politicians and relevant EU Institutions (European parliament, Council of Europe). The foundation of this process lies on the assumption that the pediatrician should be the natural leader to establish and supervise standards of health care for children in Europe.
6) Special attention should be urgently paid to countries where Paediatrician based primary care for children is in danger of being transferred to General practitioners (GP’s) based on political and economical reasons, presumably under the assumption that care provided by GP’s is less expensive .
7) A revision of previous surveys and data collection done by all the participating organizations will be undertaken in order to restructure the suggested survey .
8) It was suggested that any document produced during the next Council of Europe meeting of the national health ministers in Lisbon on “Child Friendly Health Care in Europe” should be commented both by National Associations and the “Alliance” .
9) Massimo Pettoello Mantovani, Zachi Grossman and Stefano del Torso will follow the initial activities of the Alliance (Oversight Committee). The Initial survey promoted by FIMP and already reviewed by J. Klein on behalf of AAP leadership will be revised by Alfred Tenore, Elke Jaeger-Roman , Gottfried Huss and Jochen Erich in collaboration with the Oversight Committee.
10) It was discussed that initial Secretarial support should be sought and the participating Associations will consider providing an initial budget to this end.
11) A meeting will be organized in 2012
12) Meeting was adjourned at 11:00 am