In July 2008, the EU Commission released their Proposal for a Directive on patient's rights in cross border healthcare. It's aim is to create an official infrastructure for cross border healthacre so that all EU patients can travel for treatment in other EU countries, removing any obstacles or uncertainties.
This has come about for several reasons, one of which was the ruling of the European Court of Justice that patients have rights to cross-border care and to gain reimbursement for treatment in other EU member countries. This initiative aims at ensuring a clear and transparent framework for the provision of safe, high quality and efficient cross-border healthcare within the EU, for those occasions where the care patients seek is provided in another Member Stste than in their home country. The patient would be reimbursed up to the amount that would have been paid by their national health service at home, but the patient would have to bear the financial risk of any additional costs arising, as well as their travel and accomodation costs.
One key issue is that the Member State of treatment should ensure that there are mechanisms in place for patients to seek redress and compensation if they suffer any harm as a result of receiving cross-border healthcare. However, it is for the Member State to determine the nature of such mechanisms.
This means that the Directive will not make it compulsory to EU healthcare professionals providing cross-border healthcare to have professional indemnity insurance, however, a Member State may choose to make it compulsory.
The proposed directive has been sent to the European Parliament and Council for co-decision.
For UK NHS patients, the UK government has procedures in place, 'Access to Healthcare Abroad', and these can be found on their website. Please follow this link :
Website : www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/Healthcareabroad/pages/Healthcareabroad.aspx
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