The commitment of Active Citizenship Network on cross-border healthcare

Over the years, Active Citizenship Network has been increasing its commitment to promotion and protection of citizens' right in cross border healthcare through the following activities:

• Daily activity: in Italy, with our Tribunal for Patients’ Rights and Citizen Advisory Centres on Health, we provide information, advice and assistance also to the citizens who travel abroad for treatment.
• Cittadinanzattiva has been the only Italian association involved as reviewer for the civic evaluation of the App “European Health Insurance Card” produced by the European Commission and DG SANCO in 2012.
• “Manifesto for the implementation of the Right of European Patients to make an informed choice”, drafted in 2013 with 31 Civic & Patient Associations coming from 13 EU Countries and 2 EU Networks.
• May 2013: “European coordination of patient associations and other stakeholders”, informal EU network coordinated by ACN of 31 Civic and Patient Associations and other stakeholder interested to work together for the implementation of the Directive, sharing information, good and bad practices, etc.
• European tour to talk about the Directive. Public debateswith National Institutions and patient associations to share the experience from several Countries.
• May 2013: “VII European Citizens' Rights Day: patients' involvement and Cross-Border Care”, attended by EU and National Institutions, 40 patient associations, healthcare professionals and stakeholders of EU networks.
• “Make them informed! Ask your State to inform citizens on EU health rights”. Online petition, signed by hundreds of EU citizens to ask their National Parliament to involve the Directive in their legislation.
• October 2013: Presentation to the Italian Institutions of the Report “Care Without Borders: is it possible now?”.
• October 2013: “The right to information and free choice in a European perspective. Patients' Rights Have No Borders”, a report with an updated state of the implementation of the Directive in 12 EU Countries and Civic Recommendations, presented also to the DGSANCO by a delegation of Active Citizenship Network (composed by ten Associations coming from eight countries).
• December 2015: MEPs Interest Group “European Patients' Rights and Cross-border Healthcare”, linked to the request submitted by 100 civic and patient organisations and sent to the EU Parliament in May 2015 to recognise officially the value of citizens’ initiatives.
• 2016-2017: European communication campaign “Patients’ rights have no borders”in 24 Member States.
• May 2016: “Patients’ rights have no borders…as well as risks!”event organized by ACN at the EU Parliament with the aim to encourage a better cooperation between National Contact Points and civic &  patient associations in order to guarantee a greater impact of the Directive 2011/24/EU.
• March 2017: “Exploring areas and benefits of cooperation in cross-border healthcare to protect patients’ rights” event organized by ACN at the EU Parliament with the aim to share case histories and present the publication “Patients’ rights have no borders”.
• Feb 2018: "Cross-border healthcare and centers of excellence to enhance patients' rights: access, information and innovation". Event organized by ACN at the EU Parliament with the aim to advance to EU Institutions and relevant stakeholders the concrete proposal to encourage, for each ERN, the establishment of a multi-stakeholder group of interest, opened to all the actors already involved in the Cross-border healthcare and in the implementation of its Directive.