2 February, 2012
7th March 2012 – HPCB held a conference on the recognition of professional qualifications proposal in the European Parliament, Brussels. The event provided an opportunity for healthcare professional regulators to share their views on key aspects of the text impacting on patient safety.
HPCB meeting on recognition Directive
Wednesday, 7 March 2012, European Parliament, Brussels
On 7 March 2012, Health Professionals Crossing Borders (HPCB) held a conference on the recognition of professional qualifications proposal in the European Parliament, Brussels.
The event was sponsored by Emma McClarkin and Antonyia Parvanova MEPs and provided an opportunity for healthcare professional regulators to share their views on key aspects of the text impacting on patient safety.
Participants discussed the EC’s proposal on the Directive, highlighting the need to protect patient safety.
On the professional card, participants expressed concern about the level of detail in the proposal, tacit authorisation, the tight new deadlines and whether it will actually lead to a simplification of the recognition process.
Panellists also considered language requirements and felt that the legislation could have gone further and could benefit from further clarification, particularly in strengthening the role of competent authorities.
There was universal support for the IMI alert mechanism however participants requested clarification concerning the distinction between its use for automatic recognition and general systems cases.
On the education and training of healthcare professionals, a variety of views were shared. All contributors stressed the need for education and training to be measured in outcomes and competencies, rather than length.
Many MEPs from the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committees attended the conference and encouraged stakeholders to provide views on the proposal so that they can be considered by the European Parliament. A vote in plenary is likely to take place no earlier than the end of 2012.