The ISN Hosts European Kidney Health Alliance Meeting to Promote Kidney Care Within the EU
The ISN hosted the European Kidney Health Alliance’s (EKHA) Board of Directors, September 21-22, 2021. EKHA leaders met virtually with the Members of the European Parliament (MEP) Group for Kidney Health on September 22 to discuss the role of the European Union in promoting kidney health and improving access to kidney disease treatment in LMICs through its Africa-EU and Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) partnerships.
With the future EU/ACP agreement set to enter into force on December 1, committing both parties to promote universal health coverage and access to safe, effective, quality-controlled, and affordable medicines and vaccines, the EKHA called on the EU to help ensure that kidney health is a priority in these efforts, highlighting that 850 million people worldwide suffer from some form of kidney disease.
The EKHA urged the MEP Group for Kidney Health to help develop forward-looking policy solutions within EU programs to better integrate and recognize chronic kidney disease. They recommended improving EU screening programs for kidneys and other noncommunicable diseases, promoting transplantation and home-based therapies to improve patients’ quality of life, and expanding research and funding for better innovation in kidney replacement therapy.
