WRITTEN QUESTION E-1869/00

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(9 June 2000)

Subject: Health passport for EU citizens

Apparently in some EU countries there exists a kind of health card which is very useful for people travelling abroad, as it contains information about the bearer's health history, blood group, allergies, etc.

1. Could the Commission state the countries in which this useful document has been introduced?

2. Does the Commission think that it would be a good idea in the light of the experience gained in this area at national level to submit a proposal with a view to introducing a health passport in all the Member States?

This would constitute an important health protection measure for anyone travelling abroad, provide foreign health services with accurate information about the bearer if he requires emergency treatment and help GPs make an accurate diagnosis of any diseases, particularly tropical diseases, that their patients contract while travelling abroad.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(26 July 2000)

In 1986, the Council, following among other things requests from the Parliament, adopted a resolution on the adoption of a European emergency health card(1). This put forward a European model for a health card on paper (the yellow card), to include certain information important for the emergency treatment of the bearer of the card.

In 1989, the Commission submitted a report on the implementation of the Council resolution(2), which found that some Member States had taken steps to introduce the cards, notably Germany, Luxembourg and Portugal. Circulation of the card remained limited and its use was practically non-existent. As a result, no significant progress has been made regarding the generalised introduction of the European emergency health card.

The discussion on the introduction of a health card has received new impetus through the development of electronic cards. In 1996, the Commission published a working paper on European health cards(3) which indicated the important political, legal, administrative, technical and ethical issues to be tackled before Community-wide introduction could be contemplated. It also pointed to several promising avenues such as application for reimbursement purposes and enabling communication between a patient's doctor and the medical establishment and the authorised consultation of medical records.

Introduction and use in the Community of smart cards in general are key elements of the Europe initiative announced at the Lisbon European Council in March 2000. In the context of the Community's research and technological development programme, a concerted action had been undertaken since 1993 to harmonise the use of patient data cards for administrative, clinical and emergency applications in Europe.

This was followed by a feasibility study in 1996 in the context of co-operation with the group of seven most industrialised countries.

Pilot studies have been launched in Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. It is expected that their results will feed into the further development of smart cards under the eEurope initiative.

(1) OJ C 184, 23.7.1986.

(2) SEC(89) 1628 final.

(3) SEC(96) 1959.