SO 4.5: Ensuring equal access to health care and fostering resilience of health systems, including primary care, and promoting the transition from institutional to family-and-community-based care

This Specific Objective 4.5 addresses territorial imbalances and needs that exist in NWE with respect to health care access and the resilience of health systems. The territorial analysis of the transnational cooperation area showed that inhabitants of peripheral areas in NWE have generally more difficulties accessing healthcare services. This problem is aggravated by the observed decrease in hospital beds that has taken place in NWE over the last years. Generally, there is a need to further improve accessibility of healthcare and long-term care services in rural areas and particularly in the peripheral areas of NWE.

Further population growth in the urban core areas of NWE may also overburden healthcare systems and affect their capacity to meet the future care demand effectively. Besides, demographic change and a further ageing of the population indicate an increasing need for innovative care services and new solutions in the health care systems of NWE.

Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the lack of resilience of healthcare systems in NWE regions as well as the strong interdependencies between countries and neighbouring border regions. This calls for better transnational cooperation to ensure sufficient provision of health care services to all NWE citizens.
This priority contributes to the European Pillar of Social Rights as well as to multiple UN SDGs, including SDGs 4 on quality education, 8 on decent work and economic growth, 10 on reduced inequalities.

Grants are the selected form of support for this SO. The size of planned operations, and the type of cooperation of target groups beyond national borders, allow for very limited use of support other than grants. In addition, planned operations will not generate significant revenue.