An Appeal on Behalf of Children and Adolescents in Europe

The Council of the European Paediatric Association meeting in Vienna on March 20th 2010, restates what was approved by all the Presidents of the European National Societies of Paediatrics meeting in Rome in September 2006 in
their appeal on behalf of health and sick children and adolescents in Europe.

EPA emphasizes the importance of alerting the governments and public opinion to take prompt, integrated and appropriate measures to improve research, educational and healthcare policies in favour of children. Particularly the governments and public opinion are alerted on the following actions:

• Promotion of paediatric research
• Promotion of paediatric training
• Promoting the use of information and communication
  technologies to enhance public awareness of children's need and health
  education
• Investments in health care for infants, children and adolescents
• Fighting against inequity of healthcare and quality of life of children in Europe
• Integration of children with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds

Investing in children's health and development is a key to a population's future health. A community that looks to its future should
first and foremost consider its young people, and should do so by promoting scientific research that concerns its youth, ensuring their safety and wellbeing, and meeting their educational needs. Not to do so is suicidal for the future of society. Hopefully, each person, within his/her political, decisional and operational responsibilities understands this priority and will act accordingly.

The Council, feeling responsibility for providing the healthy development of the present child and adolescent population, alerts governments and public opinion to the need for urgent new interventions
and initiatives to promote the health of children and adolescents in Europe.

The extraordinary scientific, medical and social progress as well as the advances in learning achieved in the last few decades have led to vast improvements in survival rates, in the prevention, diagnosis and cure of diseases, and in the services provided for people during their individual development from birth to adolescence. The European paediatric community has made and continues to make a vital contribution to this new scenario. However, inequity of standards of healthcare and quality of life as well as intolerable differences in infant rnorbidity and mortality still persist both between and within European countries.

Moreover, this scenario, in part produced by progress itself and in part by a dramatic acceleration in the rate of changes, presents formidable challenges: reduced birth rates and population ageing; the need for integration between different cultures and ethnic backgrounds; colossal changes in the lifestyles of children and adolescents resulting from globalisation and communication technologies; and the growing gap between health needs and resources. Child labour, child physical and sexual abuse and child neglect, namely, the failure to provide the age-appropriate basic needs for the development of physical, emotional and intellectual capacities, are dramatically present also in Europe.

Consequently, there is a need for a new, extraordinary commitment to improve the medical, social and psychological care of infants, children and adolescents in Europe. A major effort is required to know more, and by knowing more, to act appropriately. There is an urgent need to invest more in paediatric research and training while promoting enhanced initiatives aimed at improving health conditions for infants and adolescents, in both EU and Non-EU Countries.

Fortunately, there are not only new challenges but also new opportunities. The information and communication technologies offer tremendous opportunities, unimaginable until recently, provided their exploitation is accompanied by sound decisions and actions. These new technologies should be used to improve health education to increase understanding, compliance, adherence and self-rehabilitation of vulnerable, underprivileged, disabled and sick children.

Reliable and relevant demographic data on paediatric populations targeted for medical and educational interventions is a prerequisite to establishing whether an intervention should be initiated or not, and how their effectiveness can be evaluated. The epidemiological patterns of diseases, the political willingness to act, the capacity of the health systems and the priorities of the community should be assessed at national, regional and/or local levels.

For such studies and interventions, implementation of special task forces will be initiated by EPA and European paediatricians are committed to collaborate in these initiatives. European paediatricians are in fact the best advocates for their role in provision, protection, prevention and participation of children, as well as they are the main experts in treatment programmes and their role is essential in determining and modulating healthcare costs.

Given these opportunities to improve child and adolescent health, we call upon governments to take prompt, appropriate action regarding their research, educational and healthcare policies.

March 20^th,2010