Is there a place for workers in the digital transformation of health in Europe?

nurses hospital

(13 June 2018) EPSU’s reaction to the European Commission’s Communication on “enabling the digital transformation of health and care in the Digital Single Market; empowering citizens and building a healthier society”

Our society is in the midst of a vast and pervasive data revolution. Enormous amounts of data are produced and exchanged daily and people are increasingly using all sorts of digital tools in almost every aspects of their life. Health is no exception.

This transformation brings about new challenges for workers and unions, as well as for the healthcare sector to become more effective, accessible and able to cope with an ageing society.

This is why EPSU, the European trade union Federation organising workers in the health and social services sector, published a reaction to the Communication from the European Commission on the digital transformation of health and care in the context of the Digital Single Market. The Communication lays out the challenges that European healthcare systems are facing in our digital era. It looks into the benefits and limits of the deployment of digital solutions in health, while putting forward recommendations for action at the level of the European Union (EU).

For EPSU, it is of paramount importance that European and national authorities give priority to the needs of patients/citizens and ensure that health and social care workers benefit from advancements in health data science, thus supporting the right to the best possible treatment for everyone. EPSU's response outlines the concrete steps for achieving positive outcomes from E-health for workers and citizens rather than just another opportunity exploited by a few powerful corporations. For any further information you can contact Luca Scarpiello ([email protected])