Partnerships to improve lung health

Today is world PH Day and the PVRI can be proud of its role in acting as a beacon for PH care globally. 

The PVRI has developed a major link with patient and carer groups via its patient engagement and empowerment strategy and has forged important links with pulmonary hypertension associations across the world.

We would like to acknowledge the ERS initiative, led by its President Marc Humbert, that was screened live from the European Parliament on the 26^th April. The event was hosted by the MEP Lung Health Group – an informal platform for policymakers, health professionals and patients to identify the potential EU policy measures aimed at improving lung health. The European Respiratory Society and European Lung Foundation support the Group’s secretariat.

Speakers included many active PVRI members:

• Adam Torbicki, Professor, Center for Postgraduate Medical Education, ECZ-Otwock, Poland
• Gabor Kovacs, Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonology, University Clinic for Internal Medicine, Graz, Austria
• Laurent Godinas, Assistant Professor, Department of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• Eva Otter, President, PHA Europe

The speakers presented on the following themes:

• The role of the European Commission in the field of health and the EU Health Programme
• Pulmonary hypertension, rare diseases and EU policies
• Introduction of the Call to Action position paper
• Access to treatment
• Encourage clinical research and innovation
• Improving screening and raising awareness
• Psychosocial support