On 29 September, we celebrate World Heart Day. Ahead of it, Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, issued the following statement:
“World Heart Day is a reminder of the 1.7 million lives which are lost every year to cardiovascular diseases, the number one killer in Europe. But on top of the human suffering, cardiovascular diseases also result in around €282 billion in healthcare and economic costs every year in the EU. Taking action is overdue.
The European Commission is already investing over €160 million in projects between Member States and stakeholders that aims reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity.
But we must go further, together, to improve heart health for everyone. This is why we are preparing an ambitious EU Cardiovascular Health Plan.
The EU Cardiovascular Health Plan will take a cross-sectoral approach, covering prevention, early detection and screening, treatment and management, and rehabilitation. It will also embrace the opportunities offered by new technologies, artificial intelligence, and digital and personalised tools. The plan will also address gaps in research and innovation, as well as inequalities among Member States and among different groups of the population.
To make the plan a success, we need everybodys help and commitment. We are currently gathering evidence and input from patients, healthcare professionals, industry, experts and the general public.
The theme of this years World Heart Day is ‘dont miss a beat. We will not miss a beat in our work to improve the EUs cardiovascular health. I will present our plan by the end of this year. I invite you to join us on this journey.”
