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| Focus on UEMO General Assembly |
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Outcomes of the UEMO General Assembly, Luxembourg, 5 and 6 June 2026 |
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| UEMO held its Spring General Assembly in Luxembourg, on 5 and 6 June, with the presence of delegations from 23 countries, observers from two countries, and representatives from three European Medical Organizations (European Council of Medical Orders, European Union of Medical Specialists, Standing Committee of European Doctors).
Candan Kendir, a trained general practitioner/family physician now working in the OECD, gave an authoritative keynote speech on harmonising terminology, coding, and data across Europe. She explained that if we want stronger primary care, we need better primary care data, and if we want better data, we need data systems that reflect reality.
Stéphanie Obertin, Minister of Research and Higher Education of Luxembourg and also a trained general practitioner/family physician, gave a keynote speech where she announced that the government has just approved the draft law that recognises General Practice / Family Medicine as a medical specialty earlier this week. Member of the European Parliament, Tilly Metz also gave a keynote speech where she acknowledged that general practitioners/family physicians are not valued enough and that healthcare systems would collapse overnight with an adequate general practice/family medicine workforce. The Minister of Health, Martine Deprez, was not able to be present in person, but we were able to see a vídeo message sent by her office where she mentioned the “I love my general practitioner” campaign launched in 2025 to encourage people to consult first with their GP. Three statements were approved at the General Assembly: UEMO statement on safeguarding the highest standards of training and qualification for Europe’s General Practitioners/Family Physicians UEMO statement on Inappropriate Physician Substitution UEMO Principles to support women working in medicine
Roman Romero-Ortuno proposed a UEMS-GMS and UEMO collaboration to adapt and repeat a European frailty survey among GPs and family physicians. New statutory provisions were approved, allowing the reelection of Board members for a single additional mandate. The Plenary also voted favourably regarding the admission of the Latvian Association of Rural Family Physicians, as full members, with immediate effect. The Turkish Association of Family Physicians (TAHUD) was also admitted as an observer for the period of one year. Dr Gindrovel Dumitra, from Romania, was elected as internal auditor.
The next UEMO general assembly will take place on 30-31 October in Óbidos, Portugal. |
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| | | UEMO Appeal to Protect Italian General Practice / Family Medicine and the Doctor-Patient Relationship of Trust |
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| UEMO – European Union of General Practitioners / Family Physicians, an organization representing family doctors from numerous European countries, is closely following the ongoing debate in Italy regarding the possible transformation of General practitioners / Family physicians from independent professionals to employees of the National Health Service.
UEMO wishes to express its concern about any reform that could compromise the fundamental principles of family medicine, recognized and valued throughout Europe: continuity of care, the doctor-patient relationship of trust, the professional autonomy of the physician, and the proximity of community care.
The European experience demonstrates that the most effective and sustainable healthcare systems are those that invest in strong General Practice / Family Medicine, are rooted in communities, and are founded on a stable and lasting relationship between the citizen and their family doctor. This relationship is essential for the quality of care, prevention, management of chronic diseases, and the appropriateness of healthcare interventions. The transformation of General Practitioners / Family Physicians into employees of the National Health Service risks profoundly altering this model. Specifically, it could:
Weaken the personal and trusting relationship between doctor and patient; Reduce continuity of care, a factor recognized in the scientific literature as being crucial to achieve better health outcomes; Reduce the organizational and professional autonomy needed to respond to the needs of local communities effectively; Make the profession less attractive for new generations of doctors; Lead to an increase in healthcare system management costs, without evidence that this will improve patient care.
UEMO believes that the current challenges facing community healthcare—physician shortages, an aging population, an increase in chronic conditions, and the need for multi-professional integration—must be addressed by strengthening General Practice / Family Medicine, enhancing its central role, and ensuring adequate organizational, technological, and professional tools, rather than radically changing its nature.
For these reasons, UEMO calls on the Italian authorities to promote an open and constructive dialogue with organizations representing General Practitioners / Family Physicians, in order to identify shared solutions that preserve the strengths of the current model and foster its evolution in response to the population’s future needs.
UEMO reaffirms its support for Italian General Practitioners / Family Physicians and the value of their role as the citizens’ first point of contact with the healthcare system, custodians of continuity of care, and guarantors of personalized, accessible, and sustainable care. |
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UEMO President Tiago Villanueva Highlights Need to Strengthen Family Medicine at APAH Conference |
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| UEMO President Dr. Tiago Villanueva participated in the session “Human Resources in Primary Health Care: From Challenges to Solutions” at the Conference of the Portuguese Association of Hospital Managers (APAH), held on 16 May in Covilhã, Portugal.
During the discussion, Dr. Villanueva emphasized the key role of family physicians in ensuring accessible, people-centred, and sustainable healthcare systems. He highlighted the importance of raising the profile of family medicine and called for greater investment in “positive” policies to improve recruitment and retention in primary care.
Among the priorities identified were better working conditions, reduced administrative burden, professional development opportunities, and measures supporting work-life balance. Dr. Villanueva stressed that investing in family medicine is essential to strengthening healthcare systems and responding to growing workforce challenges across Europe.
The APAH Conference brought together healthcare leaders, managers, and policymakers to discuss the future of healthcare and solutions to current workforce shortages in primary care. |
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| | UEMO President Tiago Villanueva interviews FEMS President Alessandra Spedicato on how to improve working conditions of Family Doctors in Europe |
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| Please find the video of UEMO President, Tiago Villanueva, interviewing FEMS President Alessandra Spedicato on how to improve the working conditions of Family Doctors in Europe. |
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| | UEMO represented at the WMA Council meeting on 24th and 25th April in Belgrade |
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| UEMO Vice President Branka Lazic from the Serbian Medical Chamber represented UEMO at the WMA Council meeting on 24th and 25th April in Belgrade. She actively participated in the Round Table Women in Medicine, which was inspired and organized by the current President of WMA, Dr. Jacqueline W. Kitulu. Although women make up the majority of employees in the healthcare sector all around the world, they still face many prejudices and obstacles to achieving deserved positions. In most countries of Europe, the majority of medical students which entry and also graduate from medical faculties are female. The gender structure of employees in pre-clinical and clinical disciplines shows that men are significantly more often employed in clinical disciplines compared to pre-clinical disciplines. In clinical disciplines, 60% of the Heads of Departments for narrower scientific fields are men. When we consider General/family medicine, the percentage of female family doctors in most countries is between 60 -65%.
More women in leadership and mentoring positions can lead to the larger cultural shift that seems so necessary today. Achieving gender equity in medicine is not a “women’s issue” but a professional responsibility shared by everyone. Men hold a substantial proportion of senior, decision-making, and gatekeeping roles in many medical settings; therefore, male allyship can directly influence day-to-day culture, while male sponsorship can measurably change outcomes such as hiring, promotion, pay equity, speaking invitations, authorship, and access to leadership pathways.
Inequalities do not erase themselves. They disappear only when we decide to delete them.
WMA Council adopted several Resolutions: 1 – RESOLUTION ON CHILDHOOD VACCINATION SCHEDULES This expresses WMA’s commitment to universal vaccination and its importance as a cornerstone of progress in a globalised world. 2- RESOLUTION ON ESCALATING GLOBAL ARMED CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE AND RESTORING PEACE Defending life, protecting those who provide care, and promoting peace are ethical imperatives inherent to the medical profession. 3- REVISED STATEMENT ON MEDICAL CARE FOR MIGRANTS The revised policy underscores the growing vulnerability faced by many migrants worldwide, including refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and displaced persons, whose access to healthcare is often undermined by legal, social, economic or political barriers. |
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| | UEMO participation to the UEMS Council meeting in Tunis |
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UEMO Secretary-General Catarina Matias attended the UEMS Council meeting in Tunis, Tunisia, on 24-25 April. She participated in a roundtable discussion with representatives from other EMOs (“How can EMOs promote their work and strengthen their influence at European and international level?”) and pointed out that EMOs strengthen their influence not by speaking louder, but by speaking earlier, together and with evidence. EMOs should move beyond representing professional interests and instead present themselves as part of the solution to systemic challenges. We also need to invest in structured advocacy, including professional lobbying capacity, whether internal or shared by EMOs to maintain regular contact with institutions, monitor agendas, and follow up on opportunities. We also must be present where decisions are shaped – upstream. This includes expert groups, consultations, and policy platforms. EMOs would also benefit from using their platforms more strategically through targeted institutional communication |
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| | UEMO President Joins European Junior Doctors’ 50th Anniversary Assembly in Germany |
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UEMO President Tiago Villanueva attended the 50th anniversary celebrations and General Assembly of the European Junior Doctors (EJD) on April 16 and 17 in Bad Nauheim, Germany, where EJD was founded. The meeting accommodated a slightly modified format to accommodate the birthday celebrations, which included several panel debates with several external guests and the current and former EJD Presidents Bernardo Pinto, Carsten Mohrhardt, Matthias Korner and Kitty Mohan). In addition to UEMO, representatives from AEMH and UEMS attended the meeting. |
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| | | | | Structural reform and centralisation: Responsibility for primary health and social care was transferred from more than 300 municipalities to 21 wellbeing services counties and Helsinki in 2023. The reform aims to improve integration, quality and access, but increasing fiscal pressures have accelerated the centralisation of services and the closure of local health stations, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas.. Financial pressure and access: Wellbeing services counties are required to eliminate accumulated deficits by the end of 2026, leading to service reductions, workforce shortages, and delayed investments. Additional client charges introduced in 2026 have raised concerns about delayed care-seeking and further barriers to access. Continuity of care and family doctor model: Growing political and professional support exists for expanding a family doctor system to improve continuity and access in primary care. A two-year pilot launched in September 2025 allows people aged 65 and over to access private GPs at public health centre fees, with the government deciding to continue and expand the scheme despite mixed early results.
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| | Funding, access and collective action: GP practices in England have been engaged in collective action since May 2026 following the imposition of the 2026/27 contract, amid concerns over unlimited same-day demand, workforce underemployment despite rising patient numbers, and persistent underfunding. Northern Ireland continues contract disputes, while Scotland secured a three-year investment package worth almost £250 million annually by year three to stabilise general practice Structural reforms and digitalisation: The NHS Modernisation Bill proposes abolishing NHS England, centralising powers under the Health Secretary, introducing a Single Patient Record covering public and private healthcare, and expanding data-sharing obligations. Significant concerns have been raised regarding patient confidentiality, GP data-controller responsibilities and the involvement of Palantir. Workforce and professional autonomy: GP shortages coexist with unemployment and underemployment of qualified GPs, while increasing use of non-doctor roles has raised patient safety concerns. Planned workforce reforms rely heavily on AI and neighbourhood-based care, potentially reducing projected NHS staffing growth and further increasing pressure on primary care.
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| | Digitalisation of healthcare administration: Full implementation of the national electronic sick leave system from January 2026, enabling electronic certification and employer notification while improving efficiency for patients, physicians, and employers Primary care service organisation: Continued operation of night shifts in public health centres despite concerns from the Medical Chamber and professional organisations regarding low utilisation and reduced daytime access to family doctors. Professional leadership and advocacy: Serbia hosted the World Medical Association Board meeting in April 2026, contributing to resolutions on vaccination, migrants’ healthcare, peace, and discussions on improving the position of women in medicine.
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| | Workforce and labour dispute: Ongoing nationwide doctor strikes since February 2026 against the proposed reform of the Health Workers’ Framework Statute, focusing on compulsory 24-hour on-call duties, long working hours, retirement recognition, and mandatory exclusivity requirements for newly qualified specialists. Training and primary care development: National Primary Health Care Day 2026 highlighted the importance of specialist training in Family Medicine and Primary Care Paediatrics, with government support for maintaining specialist qualification requirements for family doctors. Primary care representation: The General Council of Medical Associations (CGCOM) renewed its national representatives for urban and rural primary healthcare, reinforcing professional leadership and advocacy within primary care.
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| | Governance and system stability: Primary care reforms continue to be introduced through frequent legislative and organisational changes, often without sufficient involvement of frontline family physicians or a long-term strategic consensus, creating uncertainty for practices and limiting sustainable planning. Workforce, financing and administrative burden: Workforce shortages remain the main challenge, compounded by an unpredictable point-based reimbursement system and excessive administrative tasks that reduce time available for patient care, prevention and professional development. Future priorities and quality of care: Reforms increasingly emphasise digitalisation, chronic disease management and multidisciplinary teams, while family physicians advocate for greater transparency, outcome-based evaluation, continuity of care and equal treatment of all publicly funded providers.
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| | Primary care organisation and Community Houses: Italian GPs remain self-employed contractors of the National Health Service, remunerated mainly according to patient lists. The expansion of Community Houses (Case di Comunità), financed through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, aims to strengthen integrated primary care, but implementation remains incomplete due to staffing shortages and concerns about losing continuity of care. Workforce shortages and access inequalities: Italy faces an estimated shortage of 5,575 GPs, with 7,375 additional retirements expected by 2027. GP numbers have fallen substantially over the past decade, creating major regional disparities, particularly in rural and inland areas, leaving some citizens without access to a family doctor despite increased patient caps. Training and attractiveness of family medicine: Family medicine training remains regionally managed, non-university-based, and less financially attractive than other specialties. Lower remuneration, increasing administrative burdens, limited flexibility, and insufficient support for practice organisation continue to reduce the attractiveness of the profession.
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| | Referral reform and gatekeeping transition: Greece has launched a pilot programme to train GPs and Family Doctors on a structured referral pathway to specialist care. However, the system still largely allows unrestricted direct access to public and private specialists, while hospital triage is only being introduced gradually. Primary versus secondary care responsibilities: Significant tensions have emerged over proposals for GPs to manage hospital triage services. Primary care professionals strongly oppose this approach, arguing that it diverts already limited resources away from their core role in providing community-based, continuous and preventive care. In addition, the electronic appointment system currently covers only around 60% of clinical activity, leaving a substantial proportion of care outside a structured framework. Pharmaceutical regulation and electronic prescribing: Despite legal requirements for prescriptions, over-the-counter dispensing of medicines remains widespread. A new electronic prescribing functionality, introduced in May 2026, allows pharmacists to convert unfulfilled advance medication dispensing into OTC/cash sales after one month, improving administrative traceability but failing to address the underlying issue of bypassing medical oversight in pharmacological treatments.
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| | EU Health Policy 2027 - Consultations |
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| The European Commission has launched a consultation to define the priorities of the EU4Health 2027 programme, the EU’s main health funding instrument.
The outcome will influence how European health funds are allocated and which health challenges receive the greatest policy focus in the coming years. Key priorities under discussion: Health crisis preparedness and cross-border threats Disease prevention and health promotion Strengthening healthcare systems and workforce capacity Digital transformation of healthcare Tackling cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and other chronic illnesses
European health systems are now facing increasing pressure from ageing populations, workforce shortages, rising rates of chronic disease, and the need to improve resilience against future health emergencies. The consultation seeks to identify where EU action can deliver the greatest added value. The results will help shape the EU’s 2027 health agenda and influence future funding opportunities for healthcare providers, public authorities, researchers, and health organisations across Europe. Beyond the consultation, this process will contribute to setting the strategic direction of European health policy and investment priorities for 2027 and beyond. |
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| | Critical medicines act: Council and Parliament reach provisional deal |
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The European Parliament and the Council of the EU have reached a provisional agreement on the Critical Medicines Act, a landmark initiative designed to strengthen Europe's supply of essential medicines and reduce dependency on non-EU suppliers. production capacity in Europe. Public procurement rules will also place greater emphasis on supply security and resilience rather than price alone. and the European Parliament before entering into force. |
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European Medicines Agency (EMA) overview of the human medicines in 2025 |
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| The European Parliament is urging the European Commission to develop a comprehensive EU strategy to address the growing healthcare workforce crisis across Europe. MEPs warn that shortages of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals are putting increasing pressure on health systems and threatening access to quality care.
A report adopted by Parliament’s Public Health (SANT) and Employment (EMPL) committees calls for ambitious measures to improve recruitment, retention and working conditions in the healthcare sector.
The proposal also highlights the need for greater investment in education, training programmes and financial support to attract young people into health professions. The initiative comes as Europe faces an ageing population, rising healthcare demand and persistent workforce shortages. According to the report, the EU could face a shortfall of nearly one million healthcare workers by 2030 if current trends continue. Lawmakers are therefore calling for a long-term European workforce strategy capable of strengthening the resilience and sustainability of healthcare systems across the Union.
Beyond staffing concerns, the debate touches on the future sustainability of European healthcare systems, patient access to care, and the EU’s ability to respond to future health emergencies. The report is expected to be voted on in plenary in the coming weeks, increasing pressure on the Commission to translate Parliament’s recommendations into concrete policy actions. |
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| | European Commission Issues Health Recommendations to 16 Member States |
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| As part of the 2026 European Semester, the European Commission has issued health-related recommendations to 16 EU Member States, highlighting persistent challenges facing healthcare systems across Europe.
The recommendations focus on improving access to affordable healthcare, strengthening primary care and prevention, and addressing growing healthcare workforce shortages. The Commission also points to significant territorial disparities in access to care and stresses the importance of improving digital health literacy and the quality of health data to fully benefit from healthcare digitalisation.
These issues are increasingly viewed not only as health priorities but also as key investments in human capital, economic resilience and long-term competitiveness. Importantly, the findings are expected to help guide future EU reform and investment priorities, including under the next Multiannual Financial Framework. This means that health system performance is becoming a more central component of the EU’s broader economic and social policy agenda.
The recommendations signal growing EU attention to healthcare accessibility, workforce sustainability, and digital transformation, reinforcing the idea that strong health systems are essential for both public well-being and economic resilience. |
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