COVID-19 continues to be quite challenging for the nurses and the nursing profession, with a whole profession relentlessly caring for millions of citizens. Despite an obvious lack of resources and funds across many EU countries, our nurses are doing their absolute best to keep the pandemic under control and to maximise patient’s healthcare outcomes and recovery processes with exceptional professionalism, commitment, expertise, and innovation, even though they have witnessed the devastating suffering of individuals and their families with an enormous impact on their mental and physical health.
Over the past year, the EFN has highlighted the inequality of access to care, equipment, including vaccines, and other infrastructure challenges such as the stark digital divide between countries and within countries, and the fragmentation across ecosystems. However, with the roll out of the vaccination programme by all the EU Member States, there is hope for a better future for all.
Even with the challenging and changing global environment with the ongoing pandemic, the EFN has continued to relentlessly lobby the EU Institutions and key EU stakeholders on behalf of its members to ensure every opportunity is embraced to reflect nurses’ voices to shape EU developments in line with EFN SOLP 2021-2027; and providing politicians and policy makers the nurses’ views and expertise to respond to this pandemic, and to get prepared for any other future health crisis.
Within this very difficult period, we all need to take a well-deserved break and recharge our batteries. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you, EFN Members and colleagues, a restful summer holidays and hope you come back full of energy.
Paul De Raeve
EFN Secretary General