Green Paper on the European Workforce for Health in Europe is a very important document, and decisions made in its light will affect European Union health policy for years to come. Health policies across Europe should be coordinated so that recommended guidelines, designed to reduce inequities, with monitoring to promote their  se in a consistent manner across the EU, particularly but not exclusively by addressing the social determinants of health. Health services are one of the largest groups of employers in most developed countries, and therefore they constitute an important component of national economies. To improve the health of the populations of Europe, and equity of health status, public health education and research need to be a leading part of the health workforce development programme of the EU.
EU health systems have to perform a difficult balancing act, firstly between increasing demands on health services and restricted supply; secondly between the need to respond to people’s health needs locally but also to be prepared for major public health crises. There are a number of challenges facing health systems in Europe.
1) Policy makers and health authorities have to face the challenge of adapting their healthcare systems to an ageing population.
2) The introduction of new technology is making it possible to increase the range and quality of healthcare in terms of diagnosis, prevention and treatment, but this has to be paid for and staff need to be trained to use it.
3) There are new and re-emerging threats to health, for example from communicable diseases.
4) All of this is leading to continually increasing spending on health and indeed is posing major longer-term issues for the sustainability of health systems in some countries.
To respond adequately to these challenges requires health systems to have efficient and effective work forces of the highest quality as health services are very labour intensive. Challenges facing the EU public health situation population include ageing, migration, and include infectious and non-infectious diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and cancer, nutritional conditions, disaster preparation, and injury control; along with many other issues of public health, such as management and priorities of health care systems. All are crucial for the future quality of life in Europe. A professional public health workforce is essential for society to be able to meet these public health challenges with high standards of cost-effective interventions

Green Paper on the European Workforce for Health in Europe is a very important document, and decisions made in its light will affect European Union health policy for years to come. Health policies across Europe should be coordinated so that recommended guidelines, designed to reduce inequities, with monitoring to promote their  se in a consistent manner across the EU, particularly but not exclusively by addressing the social determinants of health. Health services are one of the largest groups of employers in most developed countries, and therefore they constitute an important component of national economies. To improve the health of the populations of Europe, and equity of health status, public health education and research need to be a leading part of the health workforce development programme of the EU.
EU health systems have to perform a difficult balancing act, firstly between increasing demands on health services and restricted supply; secondly between the need to respond to people’s health needs locally but also to be prepared for major public health crises. There are a number of challenges facing health systems in Europe.
1) Policy makers and health authorities have to face the challenge of adapting their healthcare systems to an ageing population.
2) The introduction of new technology is making it possible to increase the range and quality of healthcare in terms of diagnosis, prevention and treatment, but this has to be paid for and staff need to be trained to use it.
3) There are new and re-emerging threats to health, for example from communicable diseases.
4) All of this is leading to continually increasing spending on health and indeed is posing major longer-term issues for the sustainability of health systems in some countries.
To respond adequately to these challenges requires health systems to have efficient and effective work forces of the highest quality as health services are very labour intensive. Challenges facing the EU public health situation population include ageing, migration, and include infectious and non-infectious diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and cancer, nutritional conditions, disaster preparation, and injury control; along with many other issues of public health, such as management and priorities of health care systems. All are crucial for the future quality of life in Europe. A professional public health workforce is essential for society to be able to meet these public health challenges with high standards of cost-effective interventions