EU in brief" "
The commission for petitions of the European Parliament recently approved, by unanimous vote, a resolution on the effects of discrimination in healthcare against people affected by multiple sclerosis in the European Union. The resolution will be examined by Parliament on 18 December. The document is based on the ascertainment of disparities in the treatment provided by member states to persons diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Some 4000,000 people suffer from this disease in Europe, of whom 52,000 in Italy (the highest number in Sardinia). The parliamentary organ invites the European Commission to work in this direction, with a view to the formulation of a code of conduct for all member states. The resolution recommends that an epidemiological study, funded by the Union, be urgently carried out at the European level, in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), to gather data that may help researchers to clarify the causes of multiple sclerosis, hitherto unknown. The parliamentarians also appeal to the member states to promote the development of specialized clinics and develop the professional training of skilled medical and hospital personnel for the treatment of the disease.
