Population movements prompted by globalisation and war are increasing the demand for medical services in Europe at a time when resources are already under pressure. EMHF president Dr Ian Banks argues that encouraging further patient responsbility can ensure that for health professionals, the show can go on.
Escaping from persecution is nothing new.
Whole populations have moved across the face of Europe more than once in history. Now there is a flux of people seeking either a better life or keeping what they have left of it. Such movement carries with it challenges for health services as they pass through or settle in particular countries. Their health is generally far from perfect and they often need to catch up on basic health needs so it is not surprising that many GPs feel overwhelmed by demand for their services.
France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and the UK are only some of the countries grappling with temporary or semi-permanent increases in their patient population. Despite the relative wealth of European member states, many are questioning their ability to cope. This was all before the cataclysmic events which embroiled the USA and European supporters in what President Bush described as America’s Pearl Harbour leading to War.
Afghanistan and Iraq may seem like a long way from Paris, Madrid or Brussels but the impact of polarisation amongst ethnic groups, displacement and escape from conflict is already causing ripples of movement across all of Europe. Even within individual member states, cases of traumatic stress, violence and depression are on the increase. Ironically this all comes while workload, finance and recruitment are top of the agenda for many European health services.
The health of our general practitioners growing old while in practice has come under the spotlight with ‘burnout,’ an increasing problem. Anticipating, managing and more importantly preventing this creeping attrition of our workforce is a problem needing urgent attention. With workload, recruitment and training so high on the agenda, anything which addresses these issues must be worth hearing about.
There is little an organisation like the European Men's Health Forum can do about global politics, terrorism and war. We also have limited impact on budgets and resource allocation particularly where short term electoral gain attracts politicians more than long term health service planning.
Yet there are many innovations and changes in medical practice which have potential for addressing some of the workload issues. Once our profession threw up its collective hands in horror at the thought of women testing for pregnancy in their own bathroom. Now diagnostic kits covering a wide range of medical conditions are here to stay. Patients are taking more responsibility for their own health and access information from sources hitherto unheard of. Health sites on the Web are visited in numbers second only to those dealing with sex, there is a growth industry in health magazines and all governments are keen on producing a better informed patient population.
Yes, these are terrible times in which we live and practice but the show, as they say, must go on.
