Our contribution on allergy action at national level was presented to the Italian Ministry of Health by a delegation formed by patients, doctors, and researchers and our work to enable air travel with medical oxygen for COPD patients continued through a meeting with the German authorities.
Allergy Awareness Project – Meeting the Italian Health Ministry
On December 19, EFA Member FederASMA e ALLERGIE Onlus met in Rome with the Italian Ministry of Health to present the EFA Allergy Alert! Paper from our Allergy Awareness Project, in partnership with European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), International Primary Care Respiratory Ggroup (IPCRG) and Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA). During the meeting, the delegation from FederASMA -composed by the President Monica De Simone, the Responsible for relations with Institutions Sandra Frateiacci, the Responsible for external relations Giorgio Salerni and the Secretary Filomena Bugliaro- together with EFA Policy Advisor Roberta Savli, ARIA Italia Representative Professor Giovanni Passalacqua, and EAACI Secretary General Dr. Antonella Muraro, discussed the fundamental changes needed to healthcare systems across Europe regarding pre- and postgraduate medical education on allergy, key to early diagnosis and proper care for people with allergy.
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From left to right, Giovanni Passalacqua, Sandra Frateiacci, Monica De Simone, Giorgio Salerni and Filomena Bugliaro |
EFA Allergy Alert! Paper specifies several actions that will help bridging the gap between allergic patients’ needs and healthcare services. In particular, participants advocated for the need to bring more opportunities for specialization in allergology and immunology in Italy, as well as the imperative need for recognition of allergy pediatricians. Senior Executive Dr. Francesco Saverio Proia from the Ministry of Health agreed with the participants on the fact that Allergology and Immunology should be included as compulsory studies in medicine and surgery curricula and that continuous training opportunities should be provided to general practitioners and other healthcare professionals. These requests will be showcased in an official paper addressed to the attention of the Italian Parliament, thanks to the support of Dr. Proia.
Oxygen Project – Meeting with the German Airports’ Association
On January 28, EFA met with the German Federal Aviation Office, Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LB), to discuss the obstacles that patients requiring medical oxygen when air travelling experience, and the potential solutions. The National Enforcement Bodies (NEBs) like Luftfahrt-Bundesamt have been established by each EU Member State as the responsible department for the enforcement of all Regulations concerning Passenger Rights in Aviation. They are thus authorized to take all measures necessary to ensure that the rights of passengers are respected.
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From left to right, EFA Joke de Vocht and LB Sandra Kohl and Sabine Zillig. |
During the meeting, EFA Project Manager Antje Fink-Wagner and EFA Junior Project Officer Joke de Vocht briefly presented our Oxygen Harmonisation Project activities in 2014, especially the meeting with airlines and airport authorities we hosted on October 27. We also presented the “Enabling Air Travel with Oxygen in Europe” and EFA meetings with relevant stakeholders (KLM Health Services, Lufthansa, DG MOVE and Association of European Airlines). The representative of the Air Passenger Rights department Ms. Sandra Kohl, and Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (Air Transport Policy department) Ms. Sabine Zillig welcomed our position as advocates for passengers with reduced mobility due to their need for medical oxygen therapy. They also recognised that the development of training modules for airport and airline staff is especially needed.