Social partners demand Slovenian Presidency to respect demands EP over hazardous medical products

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(13 December 2021) The negotiations over the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive update are nearing their end. EPSU and the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers' Association (HOSPEEM) have called on the European Commission and the Slovenian Presidency to respect the demands of the European Parliament to include hazardous medicinal products (HMPs) (including cytotoxic drugs) in Appendix I of Revised Directive  2004/37/EC.

The social partners stress that the workers employed in our sector and the patients have a right to be protected, including via legally binding measures for all the actors. The best possible work organisation and available technology should be used, as well as education and training for all workers potentially exposed to avoid any risk of irreversible damage and associated.

The social partners recall that the European Parliament overwhelmingly supported the demands of the social partners in March this year. With a 97 per cent vote, Members of the European Parliament approved the inclusion of Hazardous Medicinal Products in Appendix I.

This vote was validated by the findings of the European Commission study on HMPs. According to the study, the three most appropriate actions are:

1.) Add relevant pharmacotherapeutic groups of HMPs to Annex I of the CMD;

2.) Introduce central EU guidelines and standards of practice;

3.) Prepare a definition of HMP and prepare a list of HMPs and active agents that meet a certain definition.

And why:  Every year more than 12.7 million healthcare workers in Europe, including 7.3 million nurses, are potentially exposed to carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic hazardous drugs. They deserve protection by European co-legislators.

For a previous article https://www.epsu.org/article/european-social-partners-remind-european-co-legislators-about-their-statement-inclusion