The European Union plans to stockpile critical medical equipment and vaccines in case of future health crises and to set up a network to ease co-ordination among the 27 member countries, reports Reuters.
European crisis chief Hadja Lahbib made the announcement last week, saying a long-term strategy was vital to ensure that “essential supplies that keep society running are always available”.
The bloc is scarred by the memory of the Covid-19 pandemic when it faced a shortage of vaccines and protective masks.
Under the EU Stockpiling and Medical Countermeasures Strategies, a priority list will be made of medical equipment to be stockpiled, including vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and personal protective equipment, while the EU will also double investments in the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HERA) to €200m by 2027, Lahbib said. The scheme funds research and development projects.
The European Commission will also launch a Medical Countermeasures Accelerator to serve as a one-stop shop to help companies access financing to develop health technologies.
A European and Global Wastewater Sentinel System will be set up to collect samples from European airports to detect disease hotspots and to monitor in real time the evolution of outbreaks, and under a measure called the Medifence initiative, the EU will collaborate with NATO’s Joint Health group to compile a list of dual-use medical countermeasures – usable for both military and civilian purposes – like antidotes and chemical protections.
Additionally, a Stockpiling Network will be developed with member states to co-ordinate their initiatives and avoid duplicate funding.
“We know that some countries are stockpiling on their own, but we don’t know who has what. The first step is to exchange information,” Lahbib said.
Reuters article – EU aims to stockpile critical medical supplies for future crises (Open access)
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