A recent Eurobarometer survey showed that healthcare was by far the most important issue for the future of Europe according to Europeans. However, equality in the field of healthcare, despite its centrality to wellbeing, remains a relatively under-examined field in the work of equality bodies compared to fields such as employment or education. This is reflected by the lack of EU wide legislation that would cover the field of healthcare in national anti-discrimination legislation across all grounds, which indirectly affects the mandates of equality bodies throughout Europe. Due to these limitations, the mandates and powers of equality bodies among European countries greatly varies.
The findings of Equinet’s perspective ‘Equality, Diversity, and Non-Discrimination in Healthcare’ prepared by Niall Crowley, points to obstacles faced by equality bodies in the field of healthcare. These barriers are for instance linked to the design of national healthcare systems, which often face an overall lack of resources and an uneven geographical spread of services, directly affecting access for the most marginalised groups. Other obstacles identified in Equinet’s perspective include the inherent complexity of healthcare systems requiring particular expertise from equality bodies and the power imbalances between patient and provider. The perspective points to the lack of attention to equality within healthcare systems signalling the lack of organisational equality infrastructures, capacity, and policies in healthcare provider organisations.
Moreover, it is undeniable, as shown by the results of the Eurobarometer survey mentioned above, that the COVID 19 pandemic has stressed the pre-existing structural and systemic inequalities in this field and has brought to the fore the relevance of egalitarian access to healthcare services. This has prompted for healthcare services to become a priority issue in both national and international agendas.
Webinar Series on Equality, Diversity and Non-Discrimination in Healthcare: Tackling systemic inequalities for a more egalitarian access to healthcare services
In June 2021 Equinet organised a webinar series to give space to key healthcare actors and equality bodies to share their concerns and find ways to collaborate and overcome identified obstacles to securing equality competent healthcare service provision. Whilst the impact of COVID 19 was examined specifically in one of the three-day sessions planned, focus was put on stressing the pre-existing systemic inequalities in the design and delivery of such services.
These webinars took place via Zoom Meetings, and had different thematic focuses in the course of 4 sessions:
- 22/06 State of Play: Equality and non-discrimination in the access to healthcare
- 24/06 COVID-19: The Pandemic that changed it all?
- 28/06 Healthcare services and systemic equality: Unpacking challenges
- 30/06 Working together towards an egalitarian healthcare service provision
Objectives
The primary objective of these webinars was to build the capacities of equality bodies on discrimination & inequalities in access to health services, to better protect victims of discrimination in this field and to promote egalitarian access to healthcare services.
This was done by better understanding and constructing synergies with actors involved in the process of securing non-discriminatory and egalitarian access to healthcare services, especially health professionals and national health authorities. In addition, the series constructed a space in which vulnerable groups could share their experience and expertise regarding in access and provision of healthcare services.
Speakers & Presentations
22 June – State of Play: Equality and non-discrimination in the access to healthcare
(Booklet with agenda, speaker bios and further reading here)
Moderator: Tamás Kádár, Deputy Director and Head of Legal and Policy, Equinet
- Opening speech: Tena Šimonovic Einwalter, Equinet Chair and Ombudswoman of the Republic of Croatia
- Equinet perspective Equality, diversity and non-discrimination in healthcare: Learning from the work of equality bodies: Niall Crowley, Independent Expert & author of the Equinet Perspective
- How does European Union’s legislation prevent from discrimination in healthcare? – Jean McHale, Professor of Health Care Law and Director of the Centre for Health Law Science and Policy at the University of Birmingham
- European and International legal & policy framework – Panel discussion:
- Inmaculada Placencia-Porrero, Senior Expert in Disability and Inclusion at Directorate-General Employment, EC, DG employment
- Marie-Dominique Parent, Europe Deputy Regional Representative a.i. UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe in Brussel
- Tatiana Puiu, Member of the European Committee of Social Rights, Attorney at Law, Specialist in Human Rights
24 June – COVID-19: The Pandemic that changed it all?
(Booklet with agenda, speaker bios and further reading here)
Moderator: Sophie Hale, Membership and Network developing officer, Equinet
- Healthcare systems and systemic issues: impact on equality
- Tamás Kádár, Deputy Director and Head of Legal and Policy, Equinet
- Paula Franklin, Senior researcher, European Trade Union Institute (ETUI)
- Julia Wadoux, Policy Coordinator, Age Platform Europe
- Steven Allen, Co-Executive Director, Validity Foundation
- COVID 19 pandemic & healthcare services– Vaccination & vaccine equity – Panel discussion:
- Patrick Charlier, co-Executive Director, Unia
- Alyna C. Smith, Senior Advocacy Officer, Picum
- Yannis Natsis, Policy Manager, Universal Access and Affordable Medicines, European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and Management Board member, European Medicines Agency (EMA)
- Stella Reznyik, FRANET network, Research & Data Unit, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
28 June – Healthcare services and systemic equality: Unpacking challenges
(Booklet with agenda, speaker bios and further reading here)
Moderator: Moana Genevey, Policy Officer, Equinet
- Healthcare systems and systemic issues: impact on equality – Panel discussion:
- Ingrid Stegeman, Programme Manager, EuroHealthNet
- Kaisa Immonen, Director of Policy, European Patients Forum
- Pascal Garel, Chief Executive, HOPE (European Hospital and Healthcare Federation)
- Beáta Babačová, Legal expert for external relations, Slovak National Centre for Human Rights
- Marine Uldry, Human Rights Officer, European Disability Forum
- Isabela Mihalache, Senior Policy Officer, European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (ERGO Network)
- Catriona Graham, Policy and Campaigns Officer, European Women’s Lobby
- Fostering equality and inclusion at an organisational level in healthcare service provision – Panel discussion:
- Cianán Russell, Senior Policy Officer, ILGA Europe
- Radost Zaharieva, Policy Coordinator for Health Inequalities, European Public Health Alliance, (EPHA)
- Björn Olof Bräutigam, Litigation Officer, Swedish Equality Ombudsman, Sweden
- Jonas Bull, Research and Policy Officer, Mental Health Europe (MHE)
- Juliana Santos Wahlgren, Senior Advocacy Officer, European Network against racism (ENAR)
- Peter Groenewegen, Senior researcher Healthcare Systems and Governance at Nivel, Professor at the University of Utrecht
30 June – Working together towards an egalitarian healthcare service provision
(Booklet with agenda, speaker bios and further reading here)
Moderator: Niall Crowley, independent expert
- Sharing initiatives from Equality Bodies working towards an egalitarian healthcare system and healthcare service provision:
- Securing the respect for equality and non-discrimination in Governmental policy and legal proposals regarding healthcare service provision through recommendations: Bogdan Banjac, Advisor, Commissioner for Protection of Equality of Republic Serbia
- Educating stakeholders in cross cultural competences: Fatima Hanine, Policy officer, Policy department, Unia, Belgium
- Sharing case-law summaries in the field of healthcare in order to support the prevention and recognition of discriminatory conduct: Fanni Makkai, Chief Legal Expert, Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, Hungary
- Establishing the Disability Equality Training service for healthcare professional: Solange Bonello, Manager (Research & UNCRPD Unit), CRPD, Malta
- Breakout discussions: What would an equality approach to healthcare service provision look like?
- Summary of main learnings of the series and closing
- Jone Elizondo-Urrestarazu, Legal and Policy Officer, Equinet
For any information relating to this event, please contact Jone Elizondo-Urrestarazu, Legal and Policy Officer (jone.elizondo@equineteurope.org)