EU launches €5.1b program to improve health situation

The European Union (EU) launched a 5.1-billion-euro program on Friday to improve the health situation in the bloc, reported Xinhua.

The EU4Health program aimed at helping EU member states to "strengthen the resilience of their health systems and promote innovation in the health sector" with a vision of a "European Health Union," the European Commission said in a press release.

The program, proposed by the European Commission in May 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 health crisis, is set to last from 2021 to 2027.

"This unprecedented budget of 5.1 billion euros will enable us to make targeted investments to enhance our crisis preparedness and build stronger, more resilient and more accessible health systems," said European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides.

The program has set four objectives which include improving and fostering health in the EU; protecting EU citizens from serious cross-border threats to health; enhancing availability, accessibility and affordability of medical products, medical devices and crisis-relevant products; and strengthening health systems resilience and resource efficiency.