Blood is one of the body’s most vital organs, yet it remains one of the most overlooked in health policy. Through its Blood Health Initiative, the Global Alliance for Patient Access has long worked to change that. On World Patient Safety Day, GAfPA joined a broad coalition of patient organizations, health care professionals and public health stakeholders to call on the European Parliament to give blood health the attention it deserves.
In a joint letter to the European Parliament’s Committee on Public Health, or SANT, the signatories urged lawmakers to hold a dedicated public hearing on blood health and adopt a resolution on improving blood health across Europe.
The Need for Action
Poor blood health, which is driven largely by anemia and iron deficiency, affects more than 28 million people in Europe and over 2 billion worldwide. It reduces quality of life, increases illness and death and places a heavy burden on health systems. In many cases, the underlying causes are preventable or treatable. Despite the prevalence, blood health remains largely absent from EU policy frameworks.
Aligning with EU Priorities
Blood health is both a driver and a consequence of many chronic diseases. Anemia is common among patients living with:
- Cardiovascular disease, present in up to half of heart failure patients
- Chronic kidney disease, where it worsens as kidney function declines
- Cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, where chronic inflammation disrupts red blood cell and iron balance
- Conditions affecting women and children, from pregnancy-related iron demands to childhood development
Because blood health impacts so many disease states, addressing it offers a rare chance to make progress on several fronts at once.
A Clear Opportunity for Europe
Prioritizing blood health would deliver benefits well beyond any single condition. Coordinated European action could:
- Improve patient outcomes across multiple disease areas
- Reduce health inequalities, particularly among the most vulnerable
- Strengthen the sustainability of health systems through proven approaches like Patient Blood Management.
Continuing the Push for ‘Early is Better’ Care
This latest call builds on GAfPA’s ongoing engagement in Europe, including last year’s stakeholder roundtable in Brussels on prioritizing blood health. By convening a public hearing and advancing a resolution, the SANT Committee can bring long-overdue political attention to blood health and catalyze coordinated action across Member States.
GAfPA and its fellow signatories stand ready to support the work and help shift the conversation from reactive to ‘Early is Better,’ so that patients and health systems can benefit from healthier blood.
To learn more, read GAfPA’s Fast Facts on Chronic Disease, Anemia and Blood Health