Equitable access to healthcare for fibromyalgia patients

Subject: Equitable access to healthcare for fibromyalgia patients

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a painful chronic disease and is considered, together with psychiatric diseases, to have the lowest quality of life. The prevalence in Europe is estimated to be about 20 million people.

Despite being defined in 1987 as a ‘disease entity’ by the American Medical Association (AMA), FM patients still suffer from largely insufficiently met medical needs.

Patients with FM face significant differences in treatment across Europe. The understanding of FM is low among healthcare professionals, and patients are sent around to different services, which generates immense costs. There are no national guidelines for treatment. The quality of the training of medical students varies, and there are major differences in social security rights for patients.

1. How could the Commission act to help guide national health authorities to include FM among diagnoses that guarantee specialist consultations for patients, and to help guide municipalities and specialists to apply recommended diagnostics and treatments?

2. How is the Commission planning to encourage health authorities to define FM as a valid diagnosis for sick leave and disability pension?

Submitted:27.2.2024

Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission (27 May 2024)

Member States are responsible for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care (Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)), as well as for social protection systems (Article 153 TFEU) (1).

The Commission supports Member States in reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including conditions such as fibromyalgia, under the framework of the ‘Healthier Together’ — EU NCDs initiativ e (2). The Member States discuss policies and actions to promote health and prevent NCDs in the Expert Group on Public Health (3).

Financial support is provided under the EU4Health programme for actions related to prevention and reduction of the burden of NCDs, which may include guidelines for health professionals and recommendations for the management of NCDs. Furthermore, the Commission supports best practice exchange among Member States via the EU Best Practices Portal (4).

The recognition of diseases that give entitlement to sick leave and disability pension is within the remit of Member States. The Commission supports national efforts to ensure adequate social protection, including in the case of sickness or disability, by facilitating mutual learning, exchange of information and analysis, for example, through the Mutual Information System on Social Protection (5).

1 ∙ ⸱ http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:12012E/TXT&from=EN

2 ∙ ⸱ https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicable-diseases/healthier-together-eu-non-communicable-diseases-initiative_en

3 ∙ ⸱ https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicable-diseases/expert-group-public-health_en

4 ∙ ⸱ https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/dyna/bp-portal/

5 ∙ ⸱ https://www.missoc.org/