TAIEX workshop on “Harmonization and Mutual Recognition of Health Professionals’ Qualifications in Europe” takes place in Chisinau

• further enhancing the quality of health care and safety of patients in all the countries of the SEEHN, and providing high quality health services to the populations;
• ensuring good quality and competent health care to all people traveling between and to the countries of the SEEHN;
• the appropriate management of the mobility of medical doctors into and out of the countries of the SEEHN.

The TAIEX meeting identified the need for a follow-up to provide a more in-depth assistance to the countries of the SEEHN in this very sensitive area, taking also into account the revision of the above mentioned Directive, currently in the final stages of adoption, and which introduces in particular the very important and sensitive issue of language competency. The meeting considered that an initial step should be the organization of TAIEX expert missions to the countries of the SEEHN.

The TAIEX meeting also discussed the recently initiated European Commission (DG SANCO) funded three years “Joint Action on European Workforce Planning and Forecasting” part of the Action Plan for the “EU Health Workforce – improving workforce planning” adopted by the European Commission in April 2012.

The participants considered that this initiative is closely related to the health workforce concerns of the countries of the SEEHN and recommended that a close relation be established, possibly in the form of Memorandum of Understanding between this EU initiative and the SEEHN, following the positive preliminary discussions with the leaders of this initiative – the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment of Belgium.

Following the TAIEX meeting, at the 31st Plenary Meeting of the SEEHN under the Presidency of Moldova on June 20 and 21, a Decision was adopted in line with the conclusions and requests formulated at this present TAIEX meeting.