Session 22

Cooperating on health workforce mobility in Europe

EU and global cooperation for health

Organised by the European Institute of Health and Sustainable Development

The pandemic has revealed the weakness of the autonomous actions of states in the world where diseases do not respect national borders. We are grateful for the professionalism and sacrifices made by healthcare workers who directly confronted the COVID-19 virus, and the creativity of researchers who developed effective vaccines in record time. It is now our duty to support the sustainable development of the healthcare workforce in Europe, and tackle the many challenges facing the sector.

The life span of the project “Working together to address healthcare workforce mobility in Europe 2020-2023” coincided with the pandemic and the genesis of a European Health Union. The project was sponsored by Open Society Foundations (OSF) and implemented by the European Institute of Health and Sustainable Development (EIHSD). Experts analysed trends in training, recruitment, retention and the international mobility of healthcare personnel, and worked on designing avenues for more sustainable health systems. This session will first discuss how we can tackle medical deserts and balance the commitment to Universal Health Coverage with the free movement of our healthcare heroes, before considering the opportunities to facilitate this through stronger European and global cooperation for health in light of the forthcoming European elections.