The European Nutrition for Health Alliance (ENHA) has launched a manifesto emphasizing the importance of ensuring EU citizens' access to quality nutritional care, aiming to combat malnutrition and enhance overall health outcomes.
Announcing the launch of the "Manifesto for Health Equity in the EU" by the European Nutrition for Health Alliance (ENHA) and its partners. This manifesto underscores the critical importance of ensuring EU citizens have access to quality nutritional care, crucial for safeguarding their health and well-being.
Access to adequate nutritional care not only protects against malnutrition but also plays a pivotal role in disease prevention, improving clinical outcomes, and enhancing overall quality of life. Despite the EU Council's 2003 resolution on nutritional care, which aimed to provide practical guidelines, many challenges persist. Shockingly, 20 million EU citizens remain at risk of malnutrition, with a significant portion of hospital patients affected.
The manifesto calls for comprehensive strategies to integrate nutritional care into EU healthcare policies, prioritizing patient-centred approaches and holistic well-being. Key recommendations include:
- Prioritizing patient-reported outcomes and integrating nutritional care into treatment plans to address holistic patient needs.
- Ensuring that EU strategies on cardiovascular disease, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and mental health incorporate nutritional care to enhance patient care pathways.
- Implementing nutrition screening and timely treatment protocols across all EU healthcare settings to effectively combat malnutrition.
- Investing in continuous nutritional care education for healthcare professionals to ensure comprehensive support for patients.
- Developing coherent reimbursement policies to ensure equitable access to nutritional support across health and social care systems.
- Engaging multistakeholder organizations in policy dialogues to promote transparency, best practices, and solidarity in nutritional care.
By advocating for these initiatives, ENHA and its partners aim to bridge healthcare disparities and promote health resilience among EU citizens. This manifesto serves as a crucial framework for policymakers and healthcare professionals alike to prioritize nutritional care as a fundamental aspect of healthcare delivery.
Download the manifesto and social media toolkit here